Luis Robert Jr. is available, but the Reds should know better by now

Luis Robert Jr. has been a popular trade target among Reds fans for what seems like three years now. The former Chicago White Sox star was dealt to the New York Mets last winter, and was later traded to the Baltimore Orioles. The O's declined Robert's club-option for 2027, making him a free agent.

Despite what seemed like never-ending interest on the part of the Cincinnati Reds front office, Nick Krall and Co. should steer clear of the former All-Star this offseason, for obvious reasons.

Free agent outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is a poot fit, despite the Reds' need

Robert has always had phenomenal gifts, but his track record of staying of healthy cripples his value to any team. Over the last four seasons, He's played in just 416 out of possible 648 games. That means he's only helping your lineup 64% of the time.

Furthermore, he's had three seasons to return to the All-Star level player he was back in 2023 and has failed to do it. That year, he hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 90 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and 129 wRC+. Robert was on the cusp of becoming a star in the league.

But he's been plagued by those aforementioned injuries, including an MCL sprain, hip flexor strain, multiple hamstring strains, and a lumbar spine disc herniation. As Reds fans so often like to say, the best ability is avail-ability, and that's certainly not one of Robert's strong points.

The Reds could certainly use some extra help in the outfield. And while Robert didn't put up the same elite level stats he did in 2023 (7 DRS and 12 OAA), he still played above average defense in center field for the Mets and Orioles last season.

Despite all these red flags, various outlets are predicting that Robert will be able to land a substantial contract in free agency. Spotrac predicts he'll be able to land a deal worth over $12 million on the open market. MLB Trade Rumors is even more bullish on the price, predicting a one-year, $14 million deal.

If Robert's markt falls flat, and the Reds can somehow negotiate an incentive-laden deal that's heavily weighted by player performance, then maybe Cincinnati could take a flier on Robert. But if that's the going rate for a chorically injured player who hasn't replicated his peak performance over the last three seasons, the Reds need look elsewhere.

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