10 teams that could target Luis Robert Jr.

All stats below are through Sunday's games.

In the midst of what quickly became a forgettable season for the White Sox, they do have something incredibly valuable, with a little more than a month remaining before the July 30 Trade Deadline. That comes in the form of 2023 AL All-Star Luis Robert Jr., who came two homers short of a 40-20 season last year and now stands out as a high-quality outfielder potentially available via trade.

We do say potentially because Robert, 27 in August, isn’t guaranteed to move at all. He’s signed through 2025 with two quite reasonable team options for 2026 and ‘27 ($20 million each), and after missing much of the first half of the season with a hip injury, he’s been slow to work back up to speed, hitting .191 with a 37% strikeout rate entering play Monday, meaning that a trade wouldn't be coming at a particular high point of his value. It’s certainly not as though Chicago wouldn't be able to find interested suitors over the winter, or next season, banking on Robert’s summer looking a lot more like his excellent 2023.

On the other hand, teams will be far more interested in his career 124 OPS+ and strong defensive reputation than they would be in the results of his few dozen 2024 plate appearances. But there’s this, too: There might never be a better time to have a highly talented outfielder available than right now, given how much of a historic problem spot the position is.

Consider this: National League outfielders are, right now, performing worse on offense than at any time in the modern history of baseball. American League outfielders aren't performing much better; they’re merely the second-weakest ever.

Why? Aside from the general up-and-down cycles you see over the years, that’s in part due to position switches (Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts are infielders now), and in part due to injuries (like those to Mike Trout and Ronald Acu?a Jr.), and in part due to some surprising underperformance (like Corbin Carroll and Julio Rodríguez, among others), and in part just due to offense around the game being down. There’s not one reason, but the reason also matters a little less than the truth: It’s so, so hard to find a good outfielder right now.

That being the case, it’s not that hard to find a contender who would covet Robert, especially when outfield help looks like it’s going to be quite difficult to find. Therefore, our highly scientific ranking of potential landing spots for Robert, if the White Sox trade him, starts with the …

1. Phillies

Why it should be them: This one isn’t complicated. The team is good. The outfield isn't. That’s true whether you look at WAR to date (they are 24th) or at FanGraphs' rest-of-season projections (they are last). With Harper long since moved to first base, Johan Rojas unable to hit enough to keep his job and Nick Castellanos still at just an 89 OPS+ despite a recent surge, this is the clear weakness on an otherwise championship-caliber team. It’s all but impossible to imagine them rolling out an outfield of Whit Merrifield, Brandon Marsh and Castellanos in a postseason series.

This is about as much of a now-or-never team as you’ll see, given the talent elsewhere, and GM Dave Dombrowski has never been one to shy away from the big-time win-now trade.

Why it won’t be them: There’s not really a good reason here. It is almost a perfect fit of player and need – assuming the White Sox make him available.

2. Mariners

Why it should be them: Because the pitching is good and the offense is not. Simple! Seattle has a six-game lead in the AL West, almost entirely due to high-quality pitching. But, as so often seems to be the case, the offense hasn’t stepped up to support them; while a dreadful .221/.301/.370 line reveals a little about how difficult it is to hit in T-Mobile Park, it’s not just that, either. It’s a group that’s average at best, though Julio Rodríguez heating up, as he has recently, could help.

Why it won’t be them: Not because they already have a center fielder in Rodríguez, because it’s easy enough to see Robert placed in a corner spot. Not because Jerry Dipoto is any less interested in making big moves than Dombrowski. It might only be because Robert has to turn his game up enough to show he'd help the 2024 Mariners, as well as future versions.

3. Braves

Why it should be them: Because Ronald Acu?a Jr. is out for the year, and now Michael Harris II is injured as well. While the team as a whole is showing signs of breaking out of its early-season offensive funk, the Braves are also starting a corner outfield of Adam Duvall, Ramon Laureano and Forrest Wall around Jarred Kelenic, which isn’t dissimilar to Philadelphia’s situation. It’s not like we’ve never seen the Braves go out and acquire outfield help in the wake of an Acu?a knee injury before, right?

Why it won’t be them: The farm system isn’t terribly deep at the moment, though they do have a number of essentially ready-now pitchers atop their list if that’s what Chicago desires.

4. Cubs

Why it should be them: Because a sputtering offense needs to find some spark for an impatient fanbase, and fast. Only three teams have scored fewer runs since May 1 than the Cubs, who are wasting some quality starting pitching, and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s elite defense isn’t enough to carry his 53 OPS+ bat. Robert would not only invigorate the Wrigley faithful, he’d allow Cody Bellinger to move to first, push Michael Busch to designated hitter and improve the club on both sides of the ball.

Why it won’t be them: Because cross-town trades like this are rare, though not exactly impossible. The two teams have linked up recently on the 2021 trade that sent Nick Madrigal south and Craig Kimbrel north, as well as the 2017 deal that allowed the White Sox to get Dylan Cease and Eloy Jiménez (plus two others) for José Quintana. The Cubs may have bigger bullpen problems, anyway, as their hopes for 2024 success slip away.

5. Royals

Why it should be them: Whether or not you believe in them as a real contender right now, they’re five games over .500 and in the mix of the Wild Card race – despite an outfield so weak that it ranks above only the Phillies in those rest-of-season rankings. This group has been the weakest-hitting outfield in the entire sport, and Robert’s relative youth and remaining team control would line him up well to contribute not only as Bobby Witt Jr.’s running mate this year, but for several years to come as well.

Why it won’t be them: The White Sox may or may not want to trade in the division, and Kansas City's hot start has disappeared in the midst of a terrible June. More pressingly, the Royals may not have the farm system to get it done – Kansas City’s prospects were ranked 28th entering the season.

6. Rangers

Why it should be them: The follow-up to the 2023 World Series championship has been more than a little disappointing, especially in an outfield that was expected to be a strength, yet has shockingly been the 29th-best – or second-weakest – hitting outfield in the game. Perhaps we expected too much too soon from Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter (although Langford has heated up in June), but Adolis García and Leody Taveras each have taken a huge step back. This is hardly a team that is running out of time, but Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are each in their 30s, and a rotation that’s already full of graybeards (relatively) will only get older as Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom return.

Why it won’t be them: They probably need to get better than their current standing -- three games under .500 -- to justify such a move, and despite the struggles of Langford and Carter, both are very much part of the team’s future outfield.

7. Dodgers

Why it should be them: Because as much as people don’t want to believe it, all the money spent this past winter doesn’t mean the Dodgers don’t still have areas to improve. You don’t, after all, go out and acquire Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and all the rest without continuing to set yourself up for the postseason. Los Angeles had a bottom-five outfield in the first month of the season, in part because 2023 rookie sensation James Outman hasn’t been able to back it up. While Teoscar Hernández has been quite good, he’s also a pending free agent, and the Dodgers have outfield questions for the next few years.

Why it won’t be them: Because the infield was an issue even before Betts got injured, and now adding on the dirt is less a nice-to-have and more a must-have. The Dodgers’ outfield has actually begun to perk up, anyway, rating as a top-five unit in June. No one believes they’re actually that good, but it’s maybe not as big a problem as it seemed earlier, either.

8. Cardinals

Why it should be them: Because their center fielders are hitting .192/.236/.254. This is not a typo. Victor Scott II gave way to Mike Siani, and while Siani’s defense has been excellent, this group is in contention for “the worst hitting center field group in history.” Also not a typo. That lack of success belies the fact that St. Louis has actually played quite well lately and, at 39-37, currently holds an NL Wild Card spot. Robert, if he plays like he did last year, would be a true game changer – and with fan patience growing thin after 2023’s downturn, this front office might be willing to be aggressive. Once upon a time, this team nearly signed Robert anyway.

Why it won’t be them: Pitching might be a larger concern, and the lack of production from either Paul Goldschmidt or Nolan Arenado may influence how heavily they want to go in on this roster.

9. Orioles

Why it should be them: Because Cedric Mullins’ 2021 feels so, so far away. Three years ago, Mullins had a breakout 30/30 season, positioning himself as a leader as the Orioles turned their franchise around. But he’s hit only 37 homers in the last three seasons combined, and after being a league-average hitter in 2022 and ’23, he’s hitting just .208/.253/.357 this season. He’s been one of the weakest hitters in the sport, and Robert could turn a very good offense into a great one by improving the one spot that has been unproductive.

Why it won’t be them: Because Mullins still adds value with his glove, and the starting rotation is a far more pressing concern than improving what’s already a strong lineup.

10. Pirates

Why it should be them: There are some Royals parallels here, in that this is a move not just for 2024 but also for the next few years. With Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh already has an impressive young rotation, as well as some offensive building blocks in Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds. If this core is the future of the next good Pirates team, then the future essentially starts now, particularly in a thin NL Central. As of Monday, the Pirates are only 1 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, and neither primary center fielder (Michael A. Taylor, .192/.242/.252, and Jack Suwinski, .170/.259/.302) have hit at all.

Why it won’t be them: When’s the last time the Pirates made a move to import an in-his-prime star player like this? Whether due to payroll, timing or approach, this franchise has rarely acted this aggressively.