Teams have been calling the Chicago White Sox for the past two seasons to see what it would take for them to part ways with Luis Robert Jr., but the club stood firm on keeping him.
He is an exciting outfielder with a good bat to back that up, but has had problems with injuries and inconsistent play at times. Maybe that was partly because of the team's losing environment, but the ceiling is still there.
Some analysts expected the White Sox to keep him up until the trade deadline to increase his trade stock. However, some of those analysts were shocked when they heard the news of Luis Robert Jr. Headed to the New York Mets in exchange for Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley.
MORE: White Sox GM still looking to make improvements following Luis Robert Jr. Trade
Luisangel Acuña's team-first comments should fire up White Sox fans
With Luis Robert Jr. Out, Luisangel Acuña, who is out of minor league options, will get a shot to play the outfield. He will also get a shot to play second and third base as well.
Acuña is just looking to maximize his playing time. During a Wednesday morning interview with MLB.com, he echoed his commitment to helping out this team in any way that he can.
"The most important thing for me is to help the team in any capacity they need me to, and I'm open to whatever they ask me to [do]."
That is the kind of mindset that the fanbase is looking for. And on top of that, moving on from Luis Robert Jr. Opens up the finances for the White Sox to add more players.
Chicago could still use some more help in their starting rotation, and it could use another outfield option with Acuña's ability to play the infield. Expect this club to make a move to fill at least one of these holes in the coming days or weeks.
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