The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the market for an outfielder. They’re moving superstar Mookie Betts back to the infield and they face the possibility of losing star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in free agency.
How could they fill the hole in the outfield without breaking the bank in free agency? Easy. Swing a trade for Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Well, maybe not so easy.
Robert is coming off a rough 2024 season, so his value isn’t going to be as high as it was in 2023 when he slugged 38 home runs and stole 20 bases.
Here’s a deal that would send Robert to the Dodgers this winter:
Los Angeles Dodgers receive: OF Luis Robert Jr., OF Andrew Benintendi, $24.5 million (Pay half Benintendi’s contract)
Chicago White Sox receive: SS Alex Freeland (No. 3 prospect), SS Emil Morales (No. 8 prospect)
This is a two-part trade.
The White Sox are looking for a massive haul of positon players in order to trade away Robert, but Chicago is also looking to dump Andrew Benintendi’s horrible contract.
The Dodgers don’t have the position player depth in their farm system to comfortably deal for Robert, so they would take on Benintendi to lessen the prospect return. Chicago would cover half of his contract (about $24.5 million over the next three years).
The two prospects returning to Chicago are no slouches either. Alex Freeland, the Dodgers’ third-ranked prospect, posted a .829 OPS as he surged through three levels of the minor leagues last season. He’s a shortstop with pop and an above-average glove.
Emil Morales is the Dodgers’ eighth-ranked prospect, though he should probably be ranked higher. Last season, Morales slashed .342/.478/.691 in 46 games as a 17-year-old.
Robert would be a huge add for the Dodgers. He would give them the depth and potential in the outfield they could use to surge back to another World Series.