The star center fielder’s decision to join Boras Corporation has Sox fans in a defeated mindset, but he’s not going anywhere yet.
In the land of the Chicago White Sox, times are hard. The squad just finished a season with 101 losses, and, dare I say it, the following 2024 campaign appears to be much worse. The organization recently changed leadership, and thus far the early results aren’t very noteworthy.
Despite little to no activity, we keep checking social media sites to learn about the most recent rumors regarding Dylan Cease’s upcoming trade. For this franchise, the current state of affairs is as dismal as the below-freezing winter days we are seeing in the Chicago region. As if the bad vibe around the White Sox wasn’t bad enough, things took a turn for the worst a few days ago.
The move by Luis Robert Jr. to join Boras Corporation, or as we refer to him around here, “Jerry Reinsdorf’s personal boogeyman,” was kind of a stomach punch to a fan base that didn’t really need it just now. The contract that the outstanding center fielder for the Sox signed before to his arrival at 35th/Shields in 2020 has two guaranteed years and two club options left.
If both options are exercised, Robert Jr.’s age will be thirty at the conclusion of the agreement. Given that he will be seeking a single, last contract to cover his remaining prime years, the chances of his playing center field for the Pale Hose on Opening Day 2028 were already slim to none, but his choice to switch agents was the final straw. It is well known that this team does not bargain for the most prominent agent in the sport for his elite skill, so unless there is a transfer of ownership (which we really don’t need to keep hoping for), La Pantera will be playing somewhere else in 2028.
The news has not gone down well with White Sox supporters, as one might anticipate. If you make the mistake of searching social media for anything about the Sox, you will be met with a deluge of comments from folks who think it would be best to just trade him to the Los Angeles Dodgers right now in order to save everyone time and grief. We’re trained to be negative and to expect bad news as Sox supporters. This is the essence of our fandom, and regrettably, the organization has fostered this way of thinking. However, even I believe that this is excessive.
It’s still true that 5-win center fielders with 40-home run power who also play excellent defense are not created equal. Only a few organizations possess the prospect capital necessary to complete such a transaction, and even if they decided to call Chris Getz out of sheer boredom, the asking price would be so high as to completely destroy the farm system of the acquiring team.