NEW YORK -- With a steady rain soaking Citi Field in the fifth inning of a 14-3 win over the Braves on Monday, cleanup hitter Luis Robert Jr. stepped to the plate and pulled a two-strike, 111.7 mph single into left field. Robert now has four of the 12 hardest-hit balls by any Met this season.
Consider it the latest notable data point of his Trade Deadline showcase.
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Ask Robert, and he’ll say that Queens is where he wants to be. The idea of moving to a contender doesn’t appeal to him. After multiple years of being dogged by trade talks on the South Side of Chicago, Robert finally moved to the Mets in a January deal for Luisangel Acuña and a low-level pitching prospect. He considered it a smooth transition, “because I knew a lot of people that were here, and they received me with open arms.”
Robert, who turns 29 on Trade Deadline day (Aug. 3), doesn’t want to have to start over again.
“To be honest, I’d like to stay here,” Robert said through an interpreter. “I don’t like those types of moves or trades that just happen in the middle of the season and you have to move around fast. But at the end of the day, that’s out of my control. That’s out of my hands. The people making those decisions, they’re the ones that have to make those decisions, and I have to accept it, whether it happens or not.”
As recently as a month ago, it seemed unlikely that Robert would draw much interest at the Deadline. His season -- which began promisingly with two hits on Opening Day, a home run two days later and an .922 OPS through his first 12 games -- had been on a downward trajectory since mid-April. From April 13-26, Robert hit .132 with a .365 OPS. He subsequently went on the injured list with a lumbar spine herniation and didn’t restart baseball activities until the latter half of June. At multiple points, Mets officials found themselves answering questions about Robert’s ability to return at all this season.
But Robert finally turned a corner toward the end of last month. He began a Minor League rehab assignment on June 30 and made it back to the Majors three weeks later.
Just in time to boost his trade value.
Since going 0-for-4 in his return game last week, Robert has collected two home runs, a single and three walks over his next six games. Though he feels like his timing isn’t quite back, as evidenced by his .143 batting average since his return, Robert has made do at the plate.
“He’s felt really good, so we’re encouraged by that,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “I don’t know that hardly anybody has the level of pop that he does, so it’s fun watching him run into a baseball.”
His resurgence has come at a good time for the Mets, considering the number of Major League teams seeking right-handed offensive help. So in demand are righty bats that the Red Sox just traded a rotation-quality starter, Connelly Early, for a hitter, Curtis Mead, who was designated for assignment in March. The Phillies have made no secret of their desire to acquire a right-handed bat. The Braves could use one, too. Nor will it be a problem if the Mets want to avoid trading within their division, as the Mariners, Rangers and Pirates are all seeking right-handed pop.
Between Robert and Tyrone Taylor, who’s also been playing well since returning from an IL stint, the Mets control a solid portion of the market. One rival scout opined that Taylor is the safer bet, given his track record as a strong defender with reasonable power.
Robert is the riskier, more expensive, upside play. His contract has a bit less than $7 million remaining in 2026, plus a $20 million '27 team option with a $2 million buyout that’s likely to be exercised. Those contract details essentially make Robert a pure rental, which is why the Mets are motivated to move him.
Acquiring teams know that Robert has rarely been healthy throughout his career. They also know he’s proven capable of putting a team on his back when he is, as evidenced by his 38-homer, 20-steal, All-Star season in 2023.
Right now, for the first time since April, Robert feels “really good.” As a result, he’s likely to head elsewhere by this time next week -- whether he wants to or not.
“These are things that just happen in the game of baseball,” Robert said. “When I first got to the White Sox, I said, ‘That’s never going to happen to me.’ But once you see that happening, you know it’s always a possibility.”