The Dodgers and White Sox previously engaged in trade talks that wouldve sent center fielder to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielder and an unnamed front-line prospect, according to a report from . Nightengale notably adds that talks between the sides have been tabled at present, however, and its unclear whether these discu sions occurred recently or at some point during this past offseason. That the Dodgers would have interest in Robert is fairly unsurprising. The center fielder was among the most obvious trade candidates of the offseason with Chicago coming off the worst season in MLB history. Robert himself was part of that brutal campaign, as he was limited to just 100 games by injuries and did not perform up to expectations even when healthy with a .224/.278/.379 slash line (84 wRC+). While he stole 23 bases and slugged 14 homers during that time, he was held back by a 33.2% strikeout rate, the highest of his career. Thats not much of a platform season to market to potential suitors. Between that and the $17MM guaranteed to Robert this season between his $15MM salary and the $2MM buyout of a $20MM team option for 2026, its hardly a surprise that the White Sox werent able to find the right value for their franchise center fielder. Despite his weak 2024 campaign, however, he did garner interest from clubs like the Reds and Giants Nick Yorke Jersey this winter. Its not hard to see why, given that Robert is not too far removed from a 2023 campaign that saw him make his first career All-Star team, finish 12th in AL MVP voting, and win the Silver Slugger award in center field. In 145 games that year, he posted a 128 wRC+, slugged 38 homers, swiped 20 bags, and posted a 5-win campaign (4.9 fWAR, 5.3 bWAR). That tantalizing upside appears to have intrigued the Dodgers as well. It was back in December that Robert was among a number of po sible alternatives to that L.A. was weighing a pursuit of if they were unable to bring the slugger back into the fold via free agency, though that thought experiment ultimately went nowhere when Hernandez re-signed with the club shortly thereafter. Even after bringing Hernandez into the fold, however, adding Robert could make at least some sense for the Dodgers. With Robert installed in center field, L.A. would be much le s reliant on (and, eventually, ) at second base and could instead install switch-hitter at the position. A stronger defender on the infield like Edman could help improve as he works on learning shortstop, or could even provide the Dodgers with the ability to begin using Edman at short and Betts at the keystone if the experiment of playing Betts at the most valuable defensive position on the diamond does not work out. Between the additional flexibility Robert would provide the Dodgers in how they deploy Edman and his previous heights as a star player, its not hard to see why the club would have some level of interest in him. The discu sions reported by Nightengale suggest that Outman would be a key part of the return, which could make plenty of sense for both sides. Outman, 28 next month, finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2023 with an excellent debut season where he hit .248/.353/.437 (118 wRC+) as Los Angeless regular center fielder. Unfortunately, his sophomore season did not go nearly as well as he struck out in 35.3% of his plate appearances, posted a wRC+ of just 54, and was below replacement level in 53 games. In some regards, Outman is a somewhat similar player to Robert, albeit with a far lower ceiling. Outman currently isnt slated to hit free agency until after the 2030 season, which could also be attractive to the rebuilding White Sox. He evidently wouldnt have been the only piece Chicago received had the trade been consummated, though its unclear whether the front-line prospect involved would be a top-100 type talent like southpaw or shortstop or perhaps a le s flashy name like righty or outfielder . What the hypothetical trade would have ended up looking like, its clear the sides arent currently discu sing a deal at this point. Perhaps they could circle back and reignite talks closer to the trade deadline, when Robert is sure to be on the market ahead of the final guaranteed year of his contract. Ke'bryan Hayes Jersey