The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a 10-8 start to the 2025 MLB season, leaving plenty of room for improvement as the campaign continues. Poor center field play has been one of the Phillies' biggest issues to begin the year, as both Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh have struggled to consistently produce at the plate.
Even though it's still early in the season, the Phillies can't allow their centerfield issues to persist. Fortunately, the following projected trade would help solve Philadelphia's CF woes with an All-Star-caliber reinforcement.
Phillies Acquire OF Luis Robert Jr. From White Sox in Projected Trade
If the Phillies want to upgrade the middle of the outfield, they should call the Chicago White Sox about potentially acquiring Luis Robert Jr. The former MLB All-Star OF's name has been involved in trade rumors amid the White Sox's slow start to the season, making him someone who should be on manager Rob Thomson & Co.'s radar.
It isn't a secret that Robert hasn't been the most productive version of himself this season. The former Silver Slugger is only slashing .143/.234/.214 across his first 16 games (56 at-bats) this season, tallying one home run, four RBIs, seven walks, and six stolen bases along the way.
While that's far from the most enticing performance, Robert's poor start can be attributed to the White Sox playing a losing brand of baseball (again) this season. A change of scenery could help the 27-year-old outfielder get back on track, especially when it was only two years ago that he recorded career highs in HRs (38), RBIs (80), and walks (30) while batting .264 with a .857 OPS.
Considering how he's only 27 years old, there's still plenty of time for Robert to bounce back in Philadelphia. If anything, his current slump has tanked a decent chunk of his trade value, making him easier for the Phillies to acquire.
The White Sox are fairly set when it comes to pitching prospects, though, meaning the Phillies would likely have to offer at least a couple of position players to get a deal done.
The biggest outgoing piece of this projected trade is No. 6 prospect Dante Nori. The 20-year-old OF was drafted 27th overall by the Phillies last June and has since shown promise with 11 RBIs, 23 walks, and six stolen bases with a .244/.398/.278 slash line in 90 ABs with Single-A Clearwater over the last two seasons.
Second base prospect Devin Saltiban (No. 9) represents the second half of the Phillies' payment. The former 2023 third-rounder impressed fans with 17 HRs, 53 RBIs, and 50 walks in 97 appearances with Clearwater last season. Unfortunately, he hasn't found similar success in High-A, slashing .132/.209/.184 with two RBIs and four walks across 38 ABs with Jersey Shore.
At the end of the day, two top-10 positional prospects are more than a fair price for Robert's services — especially at his current performance level. With his also being under team control with $20 million team options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, the Phillies can't wait any longer to pull off this potentially season-saving trade.