While they won’t be breaking the major league record for losses this year like they did in 2024, it’s been another tough year for the White Sox. They’ve lost 95 games and could lose 100 games for the third year in a row. Emerging young players like Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery have made this season a little easier for fans on the south side of Chicago to stomach, but there’s still little reason to expect the team to contend in 2026.
One of the most important offseason decisions for the White Sox has been whether to exercise a $20MM option on center fielder Luis Robert Jr. or pay him a $2MM buyout, though it seems they’ve generally already made up their mind. As soon as the Sox opted not to trade him at the deadline, it seemed likely Robert would be back in 2026 as opposed to bought out for no return. General manager Chris Getz has suggested as much on multiple occasions, and just this morning he told reporters that he expects Robert to be a part of the club next season (link via Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times). The question, then, is less about what they will do and whether or not they’re right to do it.
With Robert all but confirmed to be done for the 2025 campaign due to a hamstring strain, his numbers appear locked in. After slashing .224/.278/.379 (84 wRC+) with 14 homers in 100 games last year, Robert produced a nearly identical .223/.297/.364 line (82 wRC+) and slugged 14 homers in 110 games in 2025. Between that apparent lack of progress and Robert’s continued injury woes, it might seem difficult to understand why the White Sox would stick with him rather than simply viewing him as a sunk cost.
Despite his eerily similar (and disappointing) numbers, however, digging a little deeper into Robert’s 2025 numbers actually reveals reason for optimism. He stole ten more bases this year than last, going 33-for-41 as opposed to 2024’s 23-for-29. Robert’s defense is also showing signs of a rebound, as he jumped from a Fielding Run Value of 0 in 2024 to a +7 figure this year, good for top 10 among center fielders in baseball this year.
More encouraging than either of those changes are the differences in his approach at the plate. While Robert’s overall slash line doesn’t look terribly different, he cut his strikeout rate from 33.2% in ’24 to a more manageable 26% in ’25. His 9.8% walk rate isn’t just an improvement over last year’s 6.6% mark — it’s a new career-high. Robert also did his best work this summer, rebounding from a slow start to hit .274/.335/.458 with nine homers, a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate over his final 198 plate appearances. That was 17% better than average, per wRC+.
As shown by Statcast, Robert’s bat speed dropped in 2024, but he’s rebounded to elite levels in 2025, ranking in the 92nd percentile of big leaguers. That could suggest there’s still some untapped power upside, but even if his days of crushing baseballs on a 30 to 40 homer pace are behind him, the combination of improved discipline, baserunning, and defense leave him in a solid position to be a three-to-four win player in the future if he can just stay healthy — though that is a colossal “if.”
It’s arguable that it’s worth an $18MM roll of the dice, particularly considering the fact that Cody Bellinger signed with the Cubs on a one-year, $17.5MM contract during the 2022-23 offseason after back-to-back down seasons with the Dodgers. Like Robert, Bellinger was coming off injury-marred seasons where he didn’t look like himself at the plate but had shown some signs of improvement in his final year in Los Angeles. Bellinger, of course, rewarded the north siders for their gamble with an All-Star campaign in 2023 and has posted a 123 wRC+ with 10.9 fWAR over the past three seasons.
On the other hand, locking Robert in for another year comes with glaringly obvious risk. With the White Sox unlikely to contend in 2026, on-field production will only benefit the team if it can then be converted into trade capital. The White Sox have had a lot of difficulty getting what they perceive to be fair value for Robert over the years, and even if he has a big first half in 2026, teams might be scared away by his uncertain history.
Furthermore, Robert’s 110 games played in 2025 are actually the second-most of his entire career. He’s never played even 150 games in a season. One first-half injury could leave Robert with little trade value next year, and force the White Sox into another situation a lot like the one they find themselves in this year as they stare down another $20MM option for the 2027 campaign.
What do MLBTR readers think the White Sox should be doing about Robert? Should they pick up his option and bet on better days in the future, or would they be better off sending him on his way and using that $18MM in savings elsewhere? Have your say in the poll below:
Next year, I expect a repeat of this year: great defense, can’t hit righties, missing time due to injuries. He will never validate Jerry’s faith in him. I used to be a Robert fan. I used to say he’s had a lot of bad injury luck and he’ll be a star. 2023 seemed to prove me right, but since then, it’s been back to the IL and he’s forgotten how to hit RHP’s. He’s never learned to take a walk, either. He has extraordinary physical tools, but he’s just not a ballplayer worth $20M/yr.
They’re not gonna pick up the option. But, they will resign him for less money. They want him more than any other team.
I’ll bet they resign him to a smaller deal for next year plus an option year just in case he returns to form and they can trade him for something later.
If they cut him, he will run. Why would he accept less to stay, when he could accept less and play elsewhere.
Is he worth $20M per season? Probably not. Do they have any reason not to take the gamble other than being cheap? Definitely not.
Yes, they do. They can sign other, actually productive players for that money. Or they can at least show that there are standards that players are held to for earning their salaries.
There’s no combination of moderately productive short term free agents that makes them anywhere close to a contender next year, and the most any of those kinds of guys will get them in return at the deadline is some lottery ticket prospects. If, big if but still a chance, Robert actually returns to his 2023 form, he’ll be worth substantially more than that on the trade market and his $18M salary would actually be a bargain. It’s a gamble, but it’s a much higher potential reward and financially there’s no reason they couldn’t do both.
“Held to standards for earning their salaries” bro what league do you think this is?
Yeah, I think he has all the tools to be a great player, except for the one between the ears….
Just strikes me as having little motivation to be the player he can be, he should be with a team that will push him to be a better player and he would probably be great and help a team., Sadly though, if he goes, he will probably try to find an org that will let him be mediocre while paying him a ton of money for the promise of what he could be (like the Sox did). A lot of promise, but does not appear to be a lot of heart or drive .
Cut your losses and don’t throw good money after bad.
White Sox payroll for next year is like $80 million. What a player is actually worth doesn’t mean as much when your payroll is that low and it isn’t because you have cost constraints. To me, it’s a no-brainer for the White Sox to pick up the option, even considering how bad he’s been. You’re just taking an $18 million gamble on him returning to form and becoming trade bait.
It’s not like the money would be spent elsewhere on improving the ball club. It would just go into Reinsdorf’s pocket.
To me, it’s a no-brainer he should have been moved at the deadline, even for cash considerations and a bucket of bazooka.
I thought that they should keep him and take the option too, but this latest fall off of a cliff in his performance and now ANOTHER DL stint.. I’m just done trying to defend him. He could go somewhere and be great, but I doubt it until he finds his heart and drive to be good.
I guess the Sox could try to keep him and flip him, but it did not work out that way this year, I doubt anything will change in the offseason (unless his attitude changes) to really make a difference. I think its also the orgs fault for treating him with kid gloves instead of constantly reminding him how much they pay him to perform.
If they cut him they’re not gonna throw money at all though.
If the White Sox cut him loose they have to sign a CF. There are several on the FA market that have been better than Robert the last 2 seasons.
They won’t sign one of those guys though. Most they’ll do is bring back Michael A Taylor or something. Or just bring up someone from AAA. If they just want someone who they can flip at the deadline Robert has the most upside, and they have no financial reason not to other than being cheapass.
Taylor is a bench player, not an everyday player. If the Sox are serious about competing Taylor is only on the bench, if still with the Sox.
My guess is that Braden Montgomery is up by mid season, if not sooner. Maybe too soon, but other than aging middling CFs the Sox would likely afford they do not have much of an option.. At least until ownership changes to someone that wants to win and has a GM that does not look at players stats from 5 years ago thinking they can recapture that player..
Assuming they have a low health grade on him, I think they’d be better served spending that money on 2-3 1 year FA pitchers. Even meh pitchers can usually fetch something at the deadline.
The thing is though, why not do both? Go grab a few pitchers to flip at the deadline and also take one last swing with Robert Jr and pray to who ever they pray to that he’s actually healthy and productive.
They had the second or third lowest payroll this season. Even adding the above mentioned contracts would still leave them as one of the cheapest teams out there.
Im assuming they operating with a similar budget, but the same logic applies with a larger budget. Rather than declining the option and signing 2-3 lower tier pitchers, they should decline the option and sign 2-3 mid tier guys.
Every team has a budget, even the big dogs like NYM, so picking up that option takes away from their available money regardless. The budget only dictates where they can shop, not whether Robert’s option is a sound bet
What caliber of pitchers would you be expecting to get for $6M-$9M each? These guys aren’t going to move the needle. A “meh” innings-eater will hopefully get you a B prospect at the deadline. If LRJ rebounds, the Sox can get an A and two B prospects. Keeping him is the right move. Worst case, they place him on waivers in early July with the chance another team claims him. They can also work a trade with some cash for prospects.
Guess the question is how likely is a Robert rebound. 8-9 mil can you get some decent pitchers towards the end of the off-season, id bet on getting a decent 1st half out of the Eflin’s and Quintana’s of the world, over Robert staying healthy and returning to form.
That is doubly true when considering the Sox track record of late w pitchers vs hitters.
Quintana signing for what he did in 2025 is an anomaly. There are rarely one of those out there in an offseason let alone 3.
They ll have Benintendi under contract next season and likely will pick up $10M option on Perez. Thats about it for anyone making anything relevant in MLB economics. With current state of their roster picking up the one year option hoping for a rebound seems like wise thing to do. They need a handful of players with some name recognition.
Yes they have a budget like every team, they operating in a huge market and regularly spend far less then they could while still sustaining a profit.
Another huge hurdle is players wanting to sign with them. They have a notoriously cheap owner, are in middle of rebuild, and its uncertain if they ll even remain in CHI(although a move unlikely). Any free agents they sign will either have to be rebound candidates and/or overpass, they are not going to be a team players are pining to play for.
How much were Wacha and Lugo the first year in KC? Neither were TOR arms but provided a stable base for their rotation.
They have one thing a mid tier FA may not be able to find on a contender: playing time. If your not in the rotation, if your not in the starting lineup, you are not going to increase your value sitting on the bench.
There’s opportunity cost to consider in a limited 26-man roster. Gamble with one roster spot for high rewards or gamble with two or three spots for low rewards.
Whatever “budget” they’re operating with is imagined and self-imposed. They collect more in revenue sharing than they spend on payroll. Cheapass poverty franchise.
Ybc, if the most likely thing happens, Robert continuing to underperform and be injury prone, the White Sox would have to pay to get rid of him and all they would receive in return would be a low level prospect.
If the worst case happens and he gets hurt close to the deadline, the White Sox are stuck with Robert and his contract.
The White Sox can sign one of the 5 CF available in free agency that have been better than Robert over the last 2 seasons for far less money and trade them at the deadline. On top of that they can sign a meh SP that they can also trade at the deadline. All while spending less than $18 million.
Both sides of debate are valid.
YBC, I get that, but aside from C, they lack depth. Hopefully, they get some of that back at SP as some guys return from TJS, but who replaces Robert when he goes to the IL (again)? They can plug Meidroth in for Montgomery if he’s hurt, but then 2nd is played well by ??? Honestly, while I wouldn’t spend on 2 or 3 SP’s, I would spend on at least one reliever and shore up the OF. They’re especially thin out there, when you consider AB should be a DH instead. I’d rather put Teel in left some of the time when he’s not catching.
And I just don’t see Robert ever being both healthy and good for this team again. Maybe he needs a fresh start or a wake-up call, but I’m tired of him and it feels like $20M down the drain to pick up his option.
They don’t get revenue sharing because they’re in a major market. They’re actually paying in.
You only exercise that option for Robert if you think he will magically become super healthy and rip the cover off the ball so you can flip him, and even then you are not getting much as he will be a FA after next season and still has that 20M contract.
Otherwise its just not worth it, maybe if they can decline the option but resign him for cheaper.
Your poll options don’t match the question asked in the body of the article, and the difference is meaningful. Should they have traded him at the deadline rather than holding on to him? I think they should have. (That’s the poll question.)
Now that they still have him, should they exercise the $20M option for 2026 or should they pay the $2M buyout and move on? I think they may as will exercise the option at this point. (That’s the question asked in the article.)
Its Deeds. Did you expect consistency or common sense? That will just drive you crazy. We can’t even expect him to get the facts right mpst of the time on his first pass and once he ventures into opinion we can be sure that most of the time he will go off the rails. He is the main reason I no longer pay for this site.
Getz already confirms they’ll be picking up the option. Also said he’ll be part of the new core as well.
Getz is insane then. Look, I have been one of Robert’s champions he was hitting better after the Trade deadline and appeared to be developing chemistry with the young guys, but no more after this latest BS injury… Hurt again with a hamstring injury which just should not happen with MLB players as much as it has him, especially ones who want to play and should be taking additional steps to stay away from soft tissue injuries. Out for pretty much the rest of the season too. What a joke. If he stays, he will likely do more of the same.. I mean why get better? They are paying him a ton anyway….
No motivation, or heart (to me). If he did had either he would have been hitting better this season to get traded to another team that is contending, but no, still swinging wild at sliders too. Lots of promise, but mediocre and ‘ouch my everything’…. Cut bait like they did with Moncada.
If the White Sox weren’t a cheapass poverty franchise, it would be a no-brainer; definitely pick it up. If he comes anywhere close to his potential, $18M for him is a bargain and he’s a valuable trade chip. And if he doesn’t, oh well, you still have one of the lowest payrolls in the league. But this is the White Sox we’re talking about…
They Yankees wouldn’t pick it up. Detroit wouldn’t. Cleveland, Minnesota, LAD, Boston, Miami, Phillies…
There are many teams that have cut players when they have not produced. There are a few that do unexplainable things: Cincinnati, Colorado, Toronto, KC (they need OF), Angels, and of course, the Chicago White Sox.
Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies wouldn’t pick it up because they’re already in the 3rd tier of the CBT. Cleveland, Minnesota and Miami wouldn’t pick it up because they’re also cheapass poverty franchises.
The Sox probably will, and probably be punished for doing so. If he had any motivation then he would have performed so he could be moved at the trade deadline, instead he sabotaged that with a mysteriously lost hitting approach. No to be fair Thames is a crappy hitting coach so Im sure some of that could be due to him, but otherwise, if you really want to play and play for something, you hit better to get off the crappy team you are currently on, but no. Mediocre as usual.
Thames didn’t really have much work to begin with in the first place.
Pay the buyout and sign him at a lower salary. Similar to the Carlos Rodon playbook.
But why would he sign back there. If he’s bought out, he’s a free agent. He can go anywhere and there have to be better places for him to play then going back there. A different group of hitting coaches, a different environment. I’m sure a few teams would take a shot on him for a discounted contract.
He probably will stick with the Sox, I think its safe to say no that Robert is not a driven player, obviously. He will gladly make less to be at a place that reveres him without any sort of responsibly to play better and he can have all the injuries he wants.
Roden resigned at the beginning of spring training, because no one else was interested after the entire off season failed to produce a contract. He had no options. That wouldn’t happen with Robert. Also, the CWS weren’t this bad at that time.
They should just pull the plug and decline the option, I don’t think he has any trade value anymore
Getz’s handling of the Robert situation after 2023-2024 will be on his resume forever, but I feel like he made up for it by getting good returns for Lucas giolito and Garrett crochet
Getz wasn’t the GM when Giolito was traded, and he also wanted to super high asking price that he refused to take a lowball offer.
If they wanted to just deal him for anything, they could have in July.
Pulling the plug and declining the option gets you nothing aside from $18 million saved, which won’t be used to sign anyone who could improve the team. Ownership would just keep the money.
True but is his 1 war value worth 18 million? That is definitely not
Better off picking up the option and kicking in half to try to move him this offseason. If not, he’s your CF. Their payroll is only like $40M without him next year.
Not if you’re up against the CBT and actually have hard decisions to make. But they’re not and they don’t. They’re just cheap.
rct, keeping Robert won’t improve the team and if they decline the option they will have to sign a CF.
1. Improving the team in the short term is not the point.
2. No available free agent makes enough of an impact to make them a contender, at least not anybody who would ever sign with them.
3. They don’t -have- to sign a CF, that’s what the minor leagues are for.
Pretty much anyone that is a FA CF will probably be better than Robert. Im not sold on Getz, but I think the one thing Getz and Company did well is to get players with a passion for the game, I think he is done with the prima donnas that got their big extensions and did nothing cause they got their money.
Look at guys like Teel, Meidroth, and Montgomery, happy to be here, but know they have to keep doing better that they want to win, they want to win it all. .
I think guys like Robert are really talented, its just too bad they lost their drive when they got their big checks.
They don’t have a CF in the minors.
Many of the CF in FA market have been better than Robert the last 2 seasons so they will add more to the team long term when they are traded mid-season.
Even if Robert returns to his 2023 level of performance and is healthy all the way up to the deadline he will not bring enough in trade to make them a contender. What are the chances of that happening?
They’ve been playing with only two outfielders in AAA?
If Robert returns to his 2023 level he will bring substantially more at the deadline than any free agent they could sign. Thats the whole point.
I’m not a big fan of “in the 17 games between (cherry picked and cherry picked) but I think it’s a reasonable gamble to pick up the option and see if he can produce/stay healthy. But it’s a bet on him restoring value–and to take the bet means spending money, which seems to be anathema,
The option should be, “Yes, what else are they going to do with their money? They’re not contending and they’re not an attractive free agent destination so they might as well see what happens even if the most likely outcome is he busts.”
Although I recognize it’s not very snappy.
Decline it. Buy 30 million shares of SP500 index and hope it continues to climb so you can but a good player down the road.
They already have the money to buy a good player down the road, they just choose not to.
True, but it makes little sense to throw 20m at a guy who does not want to be there (Robert)other than to hit poorly and ride the pine with another preventable injury.. Take that money and find someone with drive and the want of being a great player and helping their team (it will not take much to be better performing than Robert at this point).
I think that if Robert had any heart and drive, he would not be with the Sox now, he would have been traded as he would have been sought after.
Might aa well see how he does in the first half of 2026. Plus it won’t hurt the team payroll.
It’s a good idea to pick up the option now, but they still should have traded him in July. They have to spend money somewhere, might as well be on the hope for a rebound from Robert.
Assuming the plan is to trade him at deadline it’s really only an $8 mil investment (approximately). $10 for half season when they already owe $2.
If he can be healthy and just a little better performance they can get as much or more in 2026.
They have to pay someone to play CF so that’s another $1 mil so now it’s only a $7 mil investment.
Might as well roll the dice for that kind of money.
How is it only an 8M$ investment? You’re assuming they won’t have to eat a huge chunk of his 2nd half salary to move him next year.
Yes that was the assumption built into the decision .
That is the way you make these decisions. You make rational assumptions based on known factors and you decide one way or the other.
If you want to assume he will suck and you would have to est salary then you would elect not to pick up the option.
Business recipes are always based on reasonable assumptions in a risk / reward analysis.
Its an $18 million decision.
Very obtuse view when faced with the facts.
2 mil has to be paid for example.
1 mil to his replacement
Whatever they save via trade at deadline
A rational assumption would be that his trade value will be the same next year as it was this year, at the deadline.
Agree – my original post said at least as much as in 2025 or maybe a little better if he is having a better year. Of course, an injury and then no value but if we knew the future it would be a boring life.
Keeping him is for the trade value and not to have an 18 mil little better than average / upside CF on a 90 loss team.
We don’t know what they were offered (which would be nice to know) but I’d say it wasn’t that much or they would have traded him. Whatever it was, I think the same offer will come around at a minimum.
Now, if they know it was a crap offer and it isn’t likely to get much better, then maybe based on them knowing that, they decide it isn’t worth 8 mil to find out.
Bitb, no, it’s $20M, because if they pick it up, they’re on the hook for a $2M buyout next offseason, too. At that point, it’s an $18M decision.
The Sox should try to renegotiate a new contract with Robert for 4 years/$48 million.
Win / Win
How is paying $48M for 5.6bWAR (this season’s and last combined * 2) a good deal for the Sox?
WAR is a “theory”.
Robert is a great defensive CF, a great baserunner and has great power.
Try to keep up.
If you think that WAR is a theory then it’s you that can’t keep up.
Robert has not been a great defensive CF, he has been exactly average this season. He was about average last season.
WAR is absolutely a theory. If the Angels went 0-162, Trout would still have a positive WAR.
How would that be possible?
They are stuck paying him next season. He technically under contract for 2027 too. The plan should be to dump him way before the deadline if he’s performing next season. Might get lucky and only have to pay for half a season more and get a decent return. Obviously Robert should not be in the plans for when the current crop of rookies starts hitting their full stride in a few years. Trade should have been made awhile ago. Other than the last week the team is on the improve since the break.
No they’re not. They can decline his option and pay him $2M to go away.
unfortunately, he’s gone. Trout got injured every yesr so the Angels finally moved him out of center.. Robert should play the less demanding defensive position of LF.
,,Move Montgomery to 1B Montgomery’s is an too valuable of an offensive player. to play ss.
Montgomery is valuable in part because he plays SS! Any bum with a bat can play 1B. Tell ’em Wash!
Why does Colson need to play 1B?
I think they should take it. Yes, there is a not small chance that he won’t be better but the sox won’t compete next year so not taking that option would only help Jerry’s pocket.
By keeping him you retain a chance he bounces back and can be traded but if not it is a wasted 20 mil that wouldn’t be reinvested in the team anyway.
I’m only semi optimistic but at the sox situation you have to take the chance.
LMAO!!! I can’t believe there are that many people that would want to spend $20 mil for a guy who has had ONE healthy year in his career. Do people really not think that money could be spent for a player that can provide some offense when he’s actually on the field, and cost less when he’s off the field? The Sox would be better off trying to get Bader for $15 mil for a season than picking up Roberts option, providing he hits free agency. But Bader has to see the money he could command over his 10 mil option, so he may risk it. Philly is going to break that team up after the season anyway..
No team is going to get Bader for $15M next season. He’s going to get three years.
Possibly. Bader is in his thirties, and has his own history of injury. You should remember that. He has had a couple of healthy seasons back to back. With the CF market what it is, you may be right.
You’re really looking at it the wrong way. No, of course Robert isn’t worth $18M on the open market right now. But there is a non-zero chance that he could return to his 2023 form, in which case $18M for him would be a bargain and he’d be worth a lot at the trade deadline. The bigger point is, their team payroll is over $150M shy of the first CBT threshold, so it’s a gamble they have absolutely no reason not to take except for being cheap.
A non-zero chance? So, let’s say a 1% chance. You’re suggesting that 18$ million is a bargain? Nonsense.
It’s a bargain IF that 1% chance strikes, yes. The point is, they don’t have anything better to spend the money on and they have no reason not to other than being cheapass.
There are 150 free agents, they can surely spend that money on someone else.
1: They won’t.
2: If they tried, they’d have to compete with other teams for their services. Picking up the option is a guarantee.
3: Of those 150 free agents, who of them could actually make them a contender next year? Nobody who would ever actually sign with them, that’s for sure. So of the free agents who could actually realistically sign with them, who among them would add any long term value? None, they’d all be short term signings. So who among any of those potential short-term signings actually has more potential upside than Robert? None. Any of those guys is just filling a roster spot for a maximum trade value of a few lottery tickets.
Cheap, or recognizing a bad investment? I know the reputation. But could you really blame them for passing this one up? It’s just not worth it. The guy is always injured. 2 weeks before the deadline they sat him for a leg issue.2-3 weeks after he was on the IL and done for the season. Some Mets fans wanted this guy in the worst way. They, of course, were wrong, and are glad we didn’t pull the trigger. I just can’t see spending good money after bad. It’s just not worth the risk. His history says he’s got about a 20% chance of being healthy next year.
“Good money after bad”
That’s the point- it’s the White Sox- “good money” isn’t a thing. There’s no combination of free agents that they could plausibly sign that makes them anything close to a contender next year. And no free agent in line for a long term deal would even entertain signing with them. They already have a rock bottom payroll. They literally have nothing better to do with the money than rolling the dice on a rebound.
The guy is always injured. They can pick up his option, but they are still going to have to find someone else to play the position. Isn’t that clear? The least they could do would be don’t pick up the option, and try to resign the guy to a lower aav deal, or an incentive laden deal. Just because you have the money doesn’t justify wasting it on someone who doesn’t stand much of a chance of taking the field for you for at least 120 games.
Of course the SOX should pick up the option on Luis Robert, and they certainly will.
The Sox haven’t a single player across the entire organization that can play at or near Robert’s defensive ability in CF (sorry Brooks Baldwin fans, whom I do like as UT OF). There are also zero options in CF in the 2026 FA class.
Offensively, Robert is arguably their best RH run producer at his floor, not to mention clearly with the highest offensive ceiling. He’s their best hitter vs. LH pitching (on a team now stocked with LH hitters), though clearly struggles vs RHP.
However, consdier the players’ share of profits, which should be at least 50% imo…they’re doing most of the work. Shouldn’t the player with the longest tenure, best skillset, most jerseys sold, etc deserve a share of the nearly $200M the SOX take in each year through league TV, gate, merchandising, etc? Should the owner(s) be able to keep a 75% share while fielding a bare roster? SOX will have a bottom 5 payroll WITH Robert in 2026…imagine without him?
Baseball talk has largely become the sport of finance, which shows the effect of Business’s takeover of mass communication. It’s difficult to see unless you were around when those domains weren’t entirely controlled by Big Business. Check out Noam Chomsky & Edward Hermman’s “Manufacturing Consent” for an explanation.
Players should get like 90%. The owners are useless leeches. Replace all 30 owners with any 30 random decent businessmen and nobody at home will know the difference. Actually might be an improvement for some teams.
No, that’s too high. There are fixed costs the owners are still responsible for, such as stadium upkeep, all the employees at the ballpark, team employees, scouting, the minors, etc.
Please give me what you’re smoking.
I think we can be pretty certain that the White Sox will do the exact opposite of what a good organization would do, so they will pick up his option instead of using that money and roster spot on players with a better history of production.
There are several free agent outfielders that will be cheaper and have outperformed Robert over the last 2 seasons. Cutting him loose and signing one of those free agents would also allow them to add a player to fill another roster hole without increasing payroll.
Fool, there are 5 options in the 2025-2026 free agent class that outperformed Robert over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The White Sox’ revenue is well in excess of $300 million annually. If you said $400 million I wouldn’t argue with you. In 2021, Manfred said no team had less than $250 million in annual revenue and only 2 had that level of revenue. The bottom 7 teams receive additional revenue sharing money from the league each year. The White Sox are not one of those 7 teams. None of that gives us an actual number for exactly what their revenue is but we do know it’s substantially more than $250 million.
Absolutely not
It costs them $18 million to keep him so they probably will.
No, it’s $20M, because picking up the option means they’re on the hook for another $2M buyout next off-season. At that point, it’s an $18M decision.
Hy – there is absolutely nothing stating that by picking up the 26 option they also have a buyout for 2 next offseason.
That is NOT the way these work.
Look at his contract. If they pick up the ’26 option, they have a ’27 option for $20M or a $2M buyout. It’s exactly how this one works.
If they were a good organization they would pick up his option AND spend money on other players. We know they definitely won’t do the latter whether they pick up Robert’s option or not.
Sure there are as many as 5 center fielders who have performed better than him who are available, but what would be the point? None of them would add any long term value or make enough of a difference to make them contenders next year. And they would also have to compete with other teams for their services. While Robert at least has the potential to be much better than all of those guys, which if he did, would actually be worth enough on the trade market to bring back long term value.
Any of those 5 would add more long term than Robert. Trading a better player brings back more in trade. Is that really so hard to understand?
None of those 5 would add more long term than Robert -could- if he rebounds. It’s a gamble. Is that really so hard to understand?
Give Robert’s hamstring a break and move him to LF
You’re not a building block if you have a .601 OPS against RHP’s.
“The question, then, is less about what they will do” is very awkward. Better to begin the sentence with “so” and then say “the question is less about…”