Mets Receive Initial Interest In Outfielder As He Returns

The New York Mets have received preliminary interest in Luis Robert Jr., according to a report from Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com that referenced reporting from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic. 

Robert was reinstated from the 60-day IL on Monday after missing almost three months due to disc inflammation in his back, and he now has two weeks to demonstrate his healthy before the deadline. 

The outfielder Robert did play in the Mets’ series against the Milwaukee Brewers this week, and while his timing wasn’t good — he struck out five times — he also hit a healthy home run in Tuesday’s game that indicated he could be ready to go assuming he doesn’t have a setback. 

The Mets got virtually nothing from Robert after dealing infielder Luisangel Acuna and pitching prospect Truman Pauley to acquire him, but Acuna is having a tough season and Pauley is struggling to throw strikes in Low-A, according to Franco.

The biggest cost for Acuna, however, was financial, as the Mets picked up Robert’s $20 million salary plus a $2 million buyout on his club option, which would have cost the Mets another $20 million. 

Throw in the 110 percent tax that came with acquiring Robert, and the total cost for the Metts was $46.2 million, with investments like this showing why they are where they are in the standings.  

The Mets babied Robert early in the season to try to keep him healthy, but it didn’t work. The good news in this acquisition, if you want to call it that, is that the Mets were able to bring up A.J. Ewing out of necessity, and so far Ewing looks like their center fielder of the future. 

Interim manager Andy Green welcomed Robert back after he finished his rehab assignment over the weekend, but he shouldn’t get too attached. There’s no real reason for the Mets to keep Robert around given where they are in the standings, so they’ll likely start taking offers on him as soon as possible. 

Robert will have plenty of suitors, strangely enough. Such is the nature of the trade market, with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies lining up to possibly make bids. Some of the teams on this list shouldn’t be taken seriously, though, as this is just early trade deadline chatter. 

For the Mets, Robert will be just another veteran failure, and the list is long with the failures running deep.