A Major Suitor May Have Quietly Exited The Luis Robert Jr. Chase

The White Sox have had a great offseason to this point, as they landed one of the biggest free agents in Munetaka Murakami. They also added pitchers Anthony Kay and Sean Newcomb, both of which should help out the team significantly.

The White Sox should not consider themselves done yet, as they could use a few more arms in the ‘pen and rotation. Insiders within the media seem to think the same thing, as after the White Sox signed Murakami, there was a significant tidbit of news that accompanied it.

Bob Nightengale came out and said that the White Sox next order of business was to trade centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., noting they were looking to add pitching depth to the roster.

Next up for the Chicago White Sox after the Munetaka Murakami signing:
They still would like to move CF Luis Robert for pitching depth and are engaged in talks with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 21, 2025

Nightengale specifically mentioned the Cincinnati Reds as an interested team, which is an interesting development, as they were rumored to be in on Luis Robert Jr. at the trade deadline. I thought that the Reds matched up well in a trade, as they have a surplus of young pitching, if that is what the White Sox are looking for.

On top of that, there was more smoke about a potential trade with the Reds, as Gordon Wittenmyer, the Reds beat writer for the Cincinnati Inquirer, continued to link the two teams in a potential deal.

However, that may have all changed, as the Reds reportedly made a signing that may have just poured cold water over a Luis Robert Jr. trade.

Sources: Free-agent outfielder JJ Bleday and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a contract. Bleday, 28, was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft and has spent time in the majors with the Marlins and A’s.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 27, 2025

According to Robert Murray, the Reds signed outfielder JJ Bleday. This is a bummer on multiple fronts, as I thought that Bleday could have been a solid fit for the White Sox in right field. Additionally, that likely takes the Reds out of the Luis Robert Jr. sweepstakes.

With this signing, it seems that talks with the White Sox were going nowhere, as you don’t typically sign another outfielder if you are about to trade for one. This is a bummer for the White Sox, as the Reds seemed to be at the forefront of the Robert Jr. rumors, giving them one less suitor.

The White Sox must have been standing pat on their price point, which seems to be a trend. It felt inevitable that Robert Jr. was going to be traded at the deadline, but the White Sox clearly felt that they weren’t getting enough in return.

Chris Getz is making the right decision by not just trading Robert Jr. just to trade him. The White Sox now have a significantly better lineup with Murakami and he should give Robert Jr. some protection in the lineup. Plus, if Robert Jr. gets off to a hot start and stays healthy, his value should only rise throughout the season. Or, on the other hand, you keep a player that has the ability to hit 30 homeruns and steal 30 bases, even in a down year.

We will see what the rest of the offseason has in store, but as of right now, it seems that Luis Robert Jr. will be on the White Sox roster on Opening Day.