Laura Albanese: Mets should not pick up Luis Robert Jr.'s option

Shortly after the trade deadline, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was asked why he retained Luis Robert Jr., despite the organization’s apparent interest in dealing the oft-injured outfielder elsewhere.

And the response was a little weird.

“I think with Luis, [we were interested in] the possibility of what he can do for us in the second half,” Stearns said then. “You understand there is a club option, and [then there’s the] excitement of still having him here for the next two months of the season.”

Let’s talk about the option first: Robert has played only 42 games this year, and that club option is worth $20 million, with the Mets having to pony up $2 million for a buyout. That’s an extremely steep price for a player who can’t stay on the field, despite his significant raw talent. What’s more likely is that Stearns couldn’t get a decent return on Robert, who was load managed throughout spring training but still suffered a lumbar spine disc herniation that cost him three months of the season.

Then there’s the “excitement” bit. With all due respect, it’s hard to be too excited about Robert when the team is nearly all but eliminated from playoff contention. However, it is true that with Juan Soto injured and no real reason to have him return, the speedy outfielder slots into an important role alongside Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing.

In Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to Atlanta, that meant playing center and batting cleanup, though interim manager Andy Green has said that, eventually, they want to get Robert reps in left, since Ewing stands to be the centerfielder for years to come. It’s both a wise move and a direct indication of where Robert, who has never played anywhere but center, slots into this team’s future plans.

So, what do you do with him? The borderline inconvenient fact is that Robert’s bat heats up with consistent playing time, and his speed, hit tool and defense are what brought him to Flushing in the first place. It’s inconvenient not because you don’t want him to do well, but because the Mets were reliant on that ability, and its absence was searing. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout Tuesday and is hitting .212, but still, it’s easy to get enamored when you hear the ball coming off his bat, or when he goes 6-for-15 with a homer and four RBIs, as he had over the four games prior to Tuesday (only three of which he started). He’s one of the reasons the post-deadline Mets

are 6-2.

But bringing him back for $20 million doesn’t make sense. Letting him walk is certainly an option, though the Mets will need to find a legitimate fourth outfielder — Soto, generally a healthy player throughout his career, is on his second IL stint and the Mets need the flexibility to give their superstar more DH at-bats in 2027. Though Soto is still young, lower-body injuries can compound, and while he’s made strides this season, he’s still defensively subpar.

Bringing back Tyrone Taylor instead is a fine idea, and frankly, having someone who suits up every day and has occasional pop is preferable to a player who looks good on paper, but can’t stay healthy.

That said, there is another course of action: Buy Robert out for $2 million, go back to the negotiating table, and see how low you can drag down his price. Running Robert back next year might feel akin to Charlie Brown attempting to kick a football, but it’s also a way to salvage a bit of this deal.

Two things need to be in place if the Mets veer in that direction:

1. Stearns must genuinely assess his health and conditioning staff. You almost expect Robert and Jorge Polanco to get injured, but when Soto and Francisco Lindor sustain similar calf injures, it’s OK to ask questions. The plan the Mets put in place to “preserve” Robert didn’t work, and they’ll certainly have to draw up a new one.

2. Robert has to prove himself right. When Robert was asked during spring training about the offensive woes that followed him in 2024 and 2025, he accredited them to irregular playing time. If he stays on the field, he said, he can be the 2023 All-Star version of himself. Assuming he stays healthy, that means he has a few things to prove over the final 41 games. He’ll need that bat to stay alive, and he’ll have to show he can play the corner outfield positions. Ewing is this organization’s future centerfielder, and retaining Robert means adapting to that reality.

So maybe “excitement” isn’t the right word, though you can’t really fault Stearns so much for trying to dress up the situation. What these last two months actually are is data collection. They’re doing it with Kodai Senga, who’s now pitching high-leverage relief innings, they’re doing it with the bevy of bullpen arms that were called up and immediately conscripted into duty, and they’re doing it with Robert.

It will be a glimpse into the future, or into a future the Mets want to avoid.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.