Only one Reds prospect belongs in any Luis Robert Jr. trade talks

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscprition required) gave baseball fans a behind-the-curtain view of the Chicago White Sox's stance when it comes to the idea of trading Luis Robert Jr. at the deadline. According to Rosenthal, the White Sox believe they would look ridiculous accepting a mid-tier prospect for Robert. Instead, Chicago is targeting an organization's top-10 prospect at the deadline.

While it's true that the White Sox would look like absolute fools for accepting a mid-tier prospect when they could've had multiple top prospects had they dealt Robert this past winter, that's the position they find themselves in with fewer than 72 hours until the trade deadline passes.

If the White Sox aren't bluffing — though Rosenthal notes that many organizations believe that's exactly what's going on here — then the Cincinnati Reds would have to give up something of value in order to secure Robert's services for the second-half of the season. If Chicago truly wants a top-10 prospect in exchange for Robert, Sammy Stafura is the only name in the Reds' organization who makes sense.

Only Reds prospect Sammy Stafura belongs in any Luis Robert Jr. trade talks

Stafura was the Reds' second-round pick in 2023 and is currently at Low-A Daytona. Recently, the Reds promoted fellow infield prospect Tyson Lewis to the Low-A level, and Stafura has shifted positions from shortstop to second base. Stafura is hitting .261/.391/.409 in 87 games with the Daytona Tortugas this season and has four home runs and 47 RBI with a 131 wRC+.

While some Reds fans would advocate for the team to part with Edwin Arroyo rather than Stafura, the former Seattle Mariners farmhand is much closer to the major leagues than his 20-year-old counterpart. Though Arroyo has fallen out of favor with some fans of late — mostly due to his year-long absence following shoulder surgery — he's bounced back well and since June 1 is hitting .287/.333/.408 at Double-A Chattanooga while also playing phenomenal defense.

The Reds abundance of shortstop prospects allows Cincinnati to part with a player like Stafura and still not greatly affect the organization's positional depth. With Lewis, Arroyo, Leo Balcazar, Ricardo Cabrera, and newly drafted first-round pick Steele Hall, the Reds would still have an ample number of shortstop prospects in the pipeline if Stafura was traded.

Robert (if healthy) represents a clear upgrade for the Reds roster. Cincinnati has been lacking a right-handed hitting outfielder all season and Robert has caught fire of late. The 27-year-old, who has a $20 million club-option for next season, has hit .318/.412/.545 with a 165 wRC+ since July 8. Robert also plays above-average defense and is just outside the 90th percentile in sprint speed.

Sacrificing Stafura for an injury-prone player like Robert is certainly a gamble, but if you believe Cincinnati will be able to grab one of Eugenio Suárez or Yandy Díaz for less than just one top-10 prospect, you're fooling yourself.

The White Sox claim they're willing to hold onto Robert (and then pick up his club-option) if no team meets their trade demands. Are they bluffing? Maybe. But if the Reds don't want to test that theory, then putting Stafura's name out there in trade conversations might be the only way to be sure.

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