ATLANTA -- When the dust cleared on the Trade Deadline, every prominent Mets player likely to become a free agent this offseason found himself with a new team … except one.
That lone holdover, Luis Robert Jr., showed too little potential for clubs to pursue him with any sort of aggression. Dealing with a lumbar spine disc herniation much of the season, Robert produced a .347 OPS in his last seven games before the Deadline. He struck out 11 times in 27 plate appearances and did not have an extra-base hit. He also had about $8 million in guaranteed money left on his contract. For those reasons, it came as little surprise that contending teams shied away from spending prospect capital on him.
Unable to sell Robert, president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke on Deadline day about “the excitement of still having him here for the next two months of the season” -- words that rang somewhat hollow, given the situation.
Nothing Robert does over the final two months of the season will do much to help the Mets, who are out of contention this year and unlikely to retain him beyond September. But the Mets do still plan to play Robert regularly down the stretch, giving him a real chance to extend his career next year -- whether in New York or elsewhere.
Working toward that end, Robert homered in a 6-3 loss to the Braves at Truist Park on Wednesday, extending the miniature hot streak he’s been on since the Deadline. Over his past six games, Robert is batting .364 with two home runs, five RBIs and just five strikeouts in 22 plate appearances -- the types of numbers that, if he had produced them before the Deadline, might have gotten Robert traded.
“He knows he’s a part of our organization,” interim manager Andy Green added. “He knows he’s going to be out there consistently -- not quite every day, but he’s going to be out there really consistently. And that opportunity to play consistently, there’s a ton of talent there.”
Batting with the bases empty in a two-run game in the seventh, Robert pulled Dylan Dodd’s thigh-high, 3-2 sinker 107.2 mph over the left-field fence for a homer, drawing New York within a run of the lead. That was as close as the club would come; despite another quality start from rookie Zac Thornton, the Mets lost their second straight game to dampen thoughts of an unlikely run back up the National League standings.
Mets officials, of course, were not thinking about magical runs when they sold off pieces at the Deadline. They were simply trying to salvage what they could from this season, which meant selling off anyone who could become a free agent after the season: Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Tyrone Taylor and, yes, Robert. Of that group, only Robert didn’t go.
“Honestly, the last three or four years in Chicago, I was part of trade talks and trade rumors, so I wouldn’t say that part affected me,” Robert said through an interpreter.
Instead, Robert said, he was so focused on his rehab routine after coming off the injured list in mid-July that he had little chance to get his swing right. Now more than three weeks removed from the IL, Robert has been able to drill down on his cage work.
After the Deadline, the team drew up plans to continue using Robert in his usual role as a part-time center fielder, starting him there regularly against left-handed pitchers and sometimes against righties. When the team returns home this week, Robert should also begin seeing time at a corner so that A.J. Ewing can receive more frequent reps in center. So long as he stays healthy, Robert will continue to play.
It’s an audition for Robert -- not necessarily for the 2027 Mets, but for the other 29 teams. At his best, Robert remains a dynamic talent, as he demonstrated in hitting 38 homers while stealing 20 bases in 2023 with the White Sox. That sort of upside is what tempted the Mets to acquire Robert last offseason for Luisangel Acuña and a low-level pitching prospect. In New York, Robert proved unable to avoid the types of lower-body issues that have trailed him throughout his career.
Perhaps next year, Robert can achieve more.
“When it comes to the numbers, sometimes you can’t really control all of that,” Robert said. “But I think if I can stay healthy, the rest will take care of itself.”