The White Sox asking price for Luis Robert Jr. is just classic deadline poker

A recent hot stretch has reminded everyone just how dangerous Luis Robert Jr. can be when he’s locked in. The 27-year-old has homered three times in the last five games and is hitting over .300 this month. So, naturally, the Chicago White Sox are treating him like he’s 2022 Aaron Judge at the trade table.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney, the White Sox are telling teams they won’t move Robert unless they get at least one of their trade partner’s top 10 prospects, if not more. If they don’t, they’re perfectly happy to pick up his $20 million option for 2026 and keep him around.

Luis Robert Jr. in seven games since All-Star break:

9-25 AB (.360 AVG)
1.067 OPS
2 HR
8 RBI
10 R
4 SB pic.twitter.com/T39HFZqPWv

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 29, 2025

That might sound delusional at first, especially for a guy who’s hit .216 with a .650 OPS since the start of 2024 and has a laundry list of injuries but actually it’s pretty fair and the Phillies have a list of 10 prospects that they should be willing to part ways with if they are getting a solid return.

Luis Robert Jr has been on fire over the last 13 games

Luis Robert Jr. last 13 games:

.333 BA
3 HR
11 RBI
4 SB

Trade deadline is 3 days awaypic.twitter.com/FROm0yEH2o

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) July 29, 2025

Asking for a top 10 prospect isn’t unreasonable. I’m not saying that the Phillies should trade Andrew Painter or Aidan Miller for Luis Robert Jr. I have morals. Things get tricky if the Sox start holding out for a top 3 prospect. At that point, we’re entering fantasy land.

If you’ve been watching baseball for more than a decade and especially if you’re a Phillies fan, you already know that no prospect should be untouchable.

We’ve been burned by the “can’t miss” label before. Dominic Brown was untouchable. J.P. Crawford was untouchable. Cornelius Randolph was drafted ahead of Walker Buehler and Gavin Lux. Don’t even get me started on Mark Appel.

Point being, the “can’t miss” guys miss all the time.

That doesn’t mean you empty the farm for Luis Robert Jr., who is basically a rental. He’s under team control through 2027, but any club trading for him is doing so with October in mind, not 2026. This isn’t a long-term foundational piece. He’s a dice roll. He might come up an escalator, but there’s a decent chance he comes up an eel.

Still, if you’re the Phillies and you think Robert’s bat puts you over the top then you pay the cost. A top 10 guy? Go for it. In fact, have three.

You don’t hang onto No. 9 in the system just because he looked good in a Futures Game. What you don’t do is let the White Sox fleece you into giving up Mick Abel or Aidan Miller and then sit there in October wondering why you didn’t have the juice to keep pace with the Dodgers or Braves.

Chicago doesn’t have the leverage they’re pretending to have.

The front office is throwing out names like Mark Vientos and Luisangel Acuña, but that’s just classic deadline poker. They’re bluffing, and as we get closer to July 31, they’re going to blink.

That’s when a team like the Phillies can make a move but it better be a smart one.

Asking for a top 10 prospect? Fine. If the White Sox want a king’s ransom for a guy who’s spent more time on the IL than in center field the past two years, Dombrowski should walk away without flinching.

Let the bluff play out.

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