ORLANDO, Fla. — Luis Robert Jr. is still a member of the White Sox after the winter meetings.
It’s not shocking that the talented center fielder stayed with the team. General manager Chris Getz has been adamant about Robert sticking around. While the baseball industry convened at a hotel resort near Walt Disney World, Getz wasn’t blown away by any trades from his counterparts.
“Teams continue to check in on him, which is of no surprise just because of the talent,” Getz said Wednesday. “But we’re focused on Luis Robert being in our uniform come spring training. If that changes, it changes, but it’s quite the talent. We know that, and it’s our job to support him the best we can.
“You point back to last year when some of these younger players stepped up, and we were able to surround him a little bit more in our lineup, we got greater production out of Luis Robert. And in the second half is where I think that really started to show. Unfortunately, he had the hamstring injury that took him out for the rest of the year when that happened late.”
Robert improved in the second half, batting .298/.352/.456, but he played in only 31 games because of a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The Sox know the risk they run keeping Robert. He can be an exciting player, but his injury history is why he has yet to be moved.
With Robert’s price tag at $20 million, teams don’t want to give up prospects and pay his salary if he’s not going to be available. Keeping him on the field is the conundrum the Sox seemingly have spent his entire career trying to solve.
“It’s just really about finding the right recipe to keep this guy on the field,” manager Will Venable said. “That’s something we’re working extremely hard to figure out. He’s a part of that.”
Bonus-pool allocation
The next step for the Sox after winning the draft lottery is figuring out how they’re going to use their money in the draft.
In 2025, they effectively paid slot value for high school shortstop and 10th overall pick Billy Carlson. The Sox went above slot value in 2024 for left-hander and fifth overall pick Hagen Smith, who became the 12th player to receive a bonus of $8 million or more. It also was the largest for a left-handed pitcher in draft history.
But the Sox benefitted from an under-slot deal for shortstop and 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez. It allowed them to sign right-hander and second-rounder Grant Taylor to a full slot value.
“Let’s continue to build this out,” scouting director Mike Shirley said. “That’s what I mean about the pool allocation that you’ve given to. Maybe there’s three pieces in there that we absolutely love that you can stretch your dollar a little bit to get in touch.”
Sox lose pitcher Pallette
Sox right-hander Peyton Pallette was taken by the Guardians in the Rule 5 Draft.
“We knew that Peyton was at risk of being taken,” Getz said. “It wasn’t an easy decision for us. Obviously, he’s got to stick on a roster for a full season, but [it’s] tough to see him go.”