Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Best of the White Sox: Disappointing Luis Robert Jr. era ends with a trade

Episode Date: January 24, 2026

In the Best of the White Sox this week, Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes reacted to the White Sox trading center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for a pair of young players in infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuna and right-hander Truman Pauley; Joe DeMayo of SNY joined the Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show to share insight and scouting reports on Acuna and Pauley; and David Haugh and Gabe Ramirez discussed what's next for the White Sox after they offloaded $20 million in trading Robert to the Mets.

Today is an important day for the organization, one that marks another step forward in this process that we began a little bit over a year ago. And in adding Luis to our organization, we feel we've added another dynamic potential impact talent to our organization. We've heard so much about you, but I feel like we haven't officially met you because we don't know exactly how you say your name. Do you say your name for us so we can officially meet you? Well, in Cuba, always it's a Louis Robert.

Louis Robert, Moira. What do we call? Well, Robert. This ball sliced to right center. Robert lays out. Oh, no, he didn't.

Outrageous, 88. This is slicing away from him into right center field. Even around the clubhouse, he never walks around like he called the Dig Me kind of player. Luis Robert to center field way back there.

It carries. and gets out of here. Find that baseball and hand it to number 88. Bring him home for the first time as a White Sox player. Luis Roberti is not a finished product. He drills one to left field and tosses the bat aside. My goodness, where will it land way up and out of year? 487 feet.

And for the first time since 2008, Sox fans will see home playoff. baseball. The Chicago White Sox are winners of the AL Central. And now it's time to meet the American League of All-Star Reserves from the Chicago White Sox. Luis Robert Jr. in the air to right field and it is gone. Luis Robert Jr. Career home one number 100. Congratulations. Lapenta! Deep drive to left. Long home run for Luis Robert. He is 32nd of the year. He's driven in his 66th. The Sucks have the lead late. He is one of the elite young sluggers in all of baseball. And Luis Robert trips down first, and you hope he's all right. Oh, my goodness.

Austin Slater, the pinch hit for Luis Robert Jr. And obviously not great news for Robert. He turns the corner and right there. And Luis, he felt something. something on the way down. You could see him visibly pull up. Louise Robert Jr. I'm told he left today's game with left hamstring tightness. Strike him out 101. Another one hand flourish. Luis Robert Jr. lines this one to left and it gets down. It'll go all the way to the wall. Oh, no, no. You know, he's still very attractive. He is.

White Sox sent Luis Robert Jr. to New York. He's gone and we couldn't do nothing about it. All right. So that was beautiful. The Soprano, I mean, the Goodfellas treatment for Luis Robert. Sad, isn't it? Yes. Because it reminds you of the feelings at the beginning and a few times along the way. Lawrence, I don't think there's anything in baseball that's more exciting than the prospect of a five-tool center fielder who could be an all-timer.

like the Willie Mays, the Ken Griffey Jr. And baseball history is littered with guys to get you excited like that and are not that kind of guy, the Corey Patterson's of the world. Right? There's a lot of people who don't achieve. Every once in a while there is one and you're like, you know what? I think Julio Rodriguez might actually be that good. I don't know who this Mike Trout kid is, but I think he's, I think he's Mickey mantle. You know what I mean? Like you

dream on that, I think even more than the fireballing ace, because it's more rare. It is more rare to find the true five-tool killer. And you get to watch them every day. That is absolutely correct. And with Luis Robert, you know, it was part of that group where Rick was like, let's buy out these Arb years. Let's get you up to the big leagues right now. Without a doubt.

Without a doubt. But just a Luis on the service, I remember we collected comps. would have a different baseball writer, expert. These are some serious names in this little amalgam that Tanny had put together. These are all people dreaming on who Luis Robert might be like as a big league ball player. And like, it is the top of the line. I can talk about Luis Robert all day. I've seen a lot of underarmored mannequins that look like that.

You will see. You're going to be the next mite rob. Going Ken Griffey, going Willie Mays with him. Andre Dawson comes to mind. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch Roberto Clemente play. I have heard that comp with him before. A combination of Andrew Jones and Bo Jackson. A combination of Cespitus and Muki vets.

How about that? A combination of speed and power, I think maybe potentially Aaron Judge. To me, he's like Acuna would speed. I saw Ichiro. You just very rarely see a guy that has the ability to just do it all. He reminds me a little bit of an Ellis Berks when that guy was east. for a while when he came up with a redside. He might be a little bit of Dave Winfield.

As a comp for Luis Robert, he is the Vinnie Dugler's mustache of centerfielders. My comparison is Carol Owens because of how he runs. Terrell Owens is where Benetti gets. But you're Gammons in there. I mean, all these, like, heavy hitters. So we dreamed on all that. So first

and foremost, it's the slow realization that this guy was not going to be that. He had moments and flashes where he showed it to you. But he didn't end up being your version of any of those people. It's upsetting because I think a lot of White Sox fans were holding on to those moments where you go, oh, my God, like, he does have all the stuff. Like, he's got all the things that could end up making you a great player.

But injury zaps some of that stuff away. And how many times you come back from injury, like, it limits how effective. We're seeing it happen with Mike Trout. You're right. But did work ethic sap any away? Did learning capabilities? Did teaching tools in the White Sox organization or lack thereof keep him from getting there? Those are thoroughly worthwhile questions.

They are. And trying to project out a player who's still younger enough to make a difference for a while and trying to figure out if it'll ever happen for him. has been the bane of White Sox fans' existence. It's because, well, wait, there was a five-war year three years ago, and you hope for that. And then it's like, oh, well, he just got injured running to first again. He just got injured going for a ball out in the center field again.

Like there's all this stuff that, and it coincides with an era of White Sox baseball where there were so many of these guys that you go, look at the potential. Oh, my God. Look at what they could turn into. Abraeu and Tim Anderson and Moncada and Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert, all on the same team as position players every day. You're like, oh, boy, here we go.

And Rick Hahn locked up so many of them to these preemptive contracts that looked ingenious for their particular financial situation, specifically. It was all supposed to happen in a really wonderful way. And I mean, for a Brayew, I mean, it did. He was an MVP. Terrific career. And that's the thing that always stuck with me, like with this group where people are going, well, is there someone around there that could be a role model? And I'm like, he's playing first base for the White Sox.

Like his work ethic is pretty legendary on how he would get down. And it's so frustrating because when you would watch Eloy hit, you'd be like, that guy's got stuff. And it never quite happened. Or when it was starting to get ready to happen, he'd run into a wall or bounce into a net or something weird would happen. He'd get hurt running the first base. So we'll get to the return of the trade in a minute. But stay on this. Is this the emblem of the end of that era for you now that it's happened?

I think so too and I think he has been an anachronism on the field he's been for like two years you're like well what's that guy doing here he's not what you're about anymore that's not happening anymore

and like that's part of like when are they going to get this done because he hasn't been a fit with the roster and the plan and all of what you're doing so now there's a sense of relief that it's sort of over on some level

yeah I think relief I think there's sadness for me that this didn't turn out more than one playoff appearance, like that or successful playoff appearance. Like that's what I think about. I think about how Tim Anderson hit a wall and is just never recovered from it. That even with him being a batting champion and looking and saying, man, he hits a wall. Like all of these guys, it makes us sad because even when there were sparks of these guys doing cool stuff, it was never while someone else was and it didn't last long.

No, it didn't. And it didn't come together and it makes you think about all the reasons why and, you know, and how you hired a manager to pay off personal feelings debt from decades ago. and that totally killed the vibes and killed some possibilities. And it also, I think, stunted growth because of the difference between Ricky as a teacher versus the point where Tony's not capable of being the teacher that he was earlier in his career. He just didn't have the energy nor stamina to be the guy that he was in a Cardinals uniform. or an A's uniform. Like, that's just gone for him.

So with Luis Robert, he, such a tantalizing talent, but you're right. The fit wasn't right. And it did feel like that if this thing is going to work for Chris Gets, then he has to completely move on from what was there before. Yeah. And if you're hoping to be, you know, competitive and eventually, great. On the field, the roster's got to be cleaner, and this

makes it cleaner with playing time priorities kind of, you know, very nearly aligned. Maybe Ben Intendi is the only remaining emblem in that way. He wasn't really part of the collective. It's supposed to be a final piece. It's supposed to be a final piece, the last gasp

of some spending to have it be one last piece. You know? I think of him and Kichel in a similar way. Yeah, and he's been almost as disappointing. And I know he hit 20 home runs last year, but it was supposed to be more than that. So let's get to the return. There's two contexts to think about the return for me. One is, what did they get versus what they could have gotten any of the last four times

they could have traded Luis Robert? The 2024 off season after the 38 home run season when he was 12th and MVP voting. What could you have gotten then with multiple years, especially if you'd been creative with the money? The deadline in 2024, when he was healthy, He had returned June 4th, but he was extremely unproductive. OPS in the low 600s. Yeah, and the idea there was that the White Sox would be selling for pennies on the dollar if they did it then. And then you're like, oh, okay, well, then how about the offseason? In 2025 in spring, healthy, impressive, and productive.

And coveted at the time by the Reds, reportedly. We lost our collective-ish, you and I, about why they weren't trading Luis Robert, when he had, what, three homers in a five-day span or something? Okay, what are we doing? Let's go. This is your moment. And they didn't. And then the 2025 trade deadline where he was healthy, not super productive.

You had the option hanging over the thing. And again, the idea being, well, you'd be selling for pennies on the dollar. And okay, but every time that that, you... you actually did have an opportunity to move Robert when he was either healthy or productive. You didn't do it. So you kept kicking the can down the road to the point where you then pick up the option and you spend $20 million. Now someone else is going to have to pay for it. But can you say that the return that they got for it was even worth this?

Well, they get Luis Sangea-Lacuna. On hell, I believe. Thank you very much. Luis Anhelle Acuna, who is the 23-year-old younger brother of Ronald Acuna and a cousin of who is it Robinson Chorino's he's a cousin of? There's a lot of baseball in the family and the DNA of Luis Anheel Acuna. And he was real good in late 2024, but he really profiles as a backup infielder who, who might also be able to be a backup outfielder.

He runs the bases very well. He's got a lot of speed. He's being given a chance to play in the outfield right now in winter ball, and maybe he can play. He's going to have to. I mean, I don't want to say that the White Sox are set around the infield, but it sure seems like they are, at least for it to give all of those guys a year to see where they're at

and how they develop. I don't find myself interested in giving Luis San Helicunya a chance to develop ahead of Chase Midroth or Colson Montgomery or Miguel Vargas. I don't. No. I mean, maybe a little bit of room? And they do now have needs in the outfield. So maybe he'll get a chance to play out there and turn into something.

I think he will a lot. Let's be one of the worst outfields in all the baseball, but he'll be out there. Yeah. And Munitaka Murakami, excuse me. So, yeah, I mean, you've got four infielder's I want to see for 130 games ahead of Luis on Helicun. So, you know, it's, I think he might just be a guy. It might just be a guy.

I think that every White Sox fan should steal themselves for the possibility that he is someone that fits on a roster. Yeah. But way down on the roster if your team is good. And Truman Pauley is a Harvard grad or a Harvard, former Harvard baseball player, a 12th round draft pick, a former 12th round draft pick, who has had a lot of difficulty throwing strikes. Big arm. Big arm. I mean, I guess now more than the last decade,

you would probably trust the White Sox pitching infrastructure more to help someone like this. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. What they didn't do, so look, and we'll learn more about those guys, but here's the other context with which to grade the return. What did they get as it relates to the full,

money that the Mets picked up. Could they have taken less money and gotten better players? Gotten better prospects. Better player? Better players? More players? Because folks, I'm here to tell you, they should have done that.

You should have been willing to eat as much money as needed to get the best possible return for your future. This is the opportunity that this kind of, contract provides you is that it's an interesting player. There are a lot of people out there who think that he might be able to do some stuff of value

for the Mets, especially surrounded by some of the pieces he will and some of the coaching and David Stern's infrastructure and all of that. You should have eaten money if it was going to get you better players or prospects from them or from the Reds. And if you didn't, then that is financial shame. That is a bit of financial shame that you should feel. as a White Sox front office. But they don't.

And there will be plenty of people that'll tell you that because we keep grading the white socks on a curve, oh, well, he's really fast. So they've needed one of those. And he projects out. And look at what he's doing in the Venezuelan League. Spare me with someone who is this old when you're talking about them being a prospect who you're judging them on what's happening in winter baseball. Like that it's the whole thing to me, it continues to be laughable on what it is that the White Sox are actually trying to do. And when you bring up the part about the money, the amount of money that they could have spent and still came away with the Mets doing more, drives me up a wall.

Yeah. Makes me speechless. I don't worry. I love that. This team makes us all emotional. I get real choked up. I don't worry about whether they're going to spend the $20 million on the payroll in this offseason and now maybe they could have done it earlier. I don't really worry about that too much because I don't believe that they're going to, they're not really like going to be competitive this year.

And if it's going to be a surprise matter of competition, then okay, then we'll see. And I'm sure they'll go out and get some players of some kind. Bruce Levine mentioned Harrison Bader today. Okay. Okay. Fine. It doesn't feel a lot different than Mike Talkman. No. You need certain guys like that. Sure.

And I'm cool with that. So I'm not going to freak out about the salary of the $20 million. I am going to freak out about the quality of prospects you might have gotten if you'd eaten some more money. And maybe the Mets didn't care because they have all the money in the world. And they weren't offering you more. They don't care because they're trying to stay with the Dodgers. And maybe the Mets were... And it's worth it for them.

Like, the flyer is worth it for them. For sure. But from the White Sox perspective, maybe the Mets said, we're going to give you the same players, whether we eat the money or not. We don't care about the money. Don't you get that? Then you go somewhere else.

Then you move on. You move on. You don't make a bad deal because it's... All right, cool. You guys are not going to give us what we need. Then let's move on and let's do something different with it. And that's why, like, the... Them going and...

and saying we're going to pick up the option seemed like folly to me because there weren't going to be many places that were going to go, yeah, we can just eat this $20 million if he turns out to be a one-war player again. And a place like the Mets or the Dodgers, they could do that. So who were you thinking was going to be a trade partner for you? Once you picked up the $20 million option and the $2 million buyout for him at the end of the season. Who were you looking at

were you looking at just the Mets and the Yankees and the Dodgers? The Phillies. And maybe the Phillies. Were you only looking at the big market teams because you wanted them to take all the money? Was a team like the Reds even going to entertain something like that

at 20 million a year? No. So were you going to entertain having the Reds pick up 5 million of it and you pick up 15 so you can get some good prospects? If you weren't, then that's where the shame should come in. That's where the shame should come in because you've got options of ways to do things in baseball. Chris Gets did a Zoom today and talked about how he thinks Acuna can play four positions at a very elite level.

And there are people saying he's got 40, 50 stolen base a year speed if he plays a lot. So we'll see. Got to get on base first. Yeah, can't steal first. I know. So we'll see. Luis on hell. We'll take a look.

He's got great bloodlines and maybe with a chance and a fresh start. Are they pure? He's got good jeans. Mm-hmm. It's like Sidney Sweeney. It's funny because, you know, it's not that funny. My brother's an excellent DJ and I can't blend a record.

This is funny how... He's the real deal. This is coming from a pure bloodline. Yeah, your brother can do that, right? Yeah, and I struggle with bloodline. ending record. So it doesn't seem to be in the jeans, at least. Maybe it's, you know, the hard work that he put into it over years and years and years, along with natural talent. But whatever, are they going to sign Yonder Alonzo again? Is that the whole idea here? We'll see, man. You know,

there are good things that are happening down there. I'm not sure if this is one of them. This is Rahimi Harris and Grotie on 670 to score. More Bears talk. coming up at 1 o'clock with Danny Parkins, but the White Sox traded Luis Robert, so we wanted to get the scoop. We decided to ask Joe DeMayo of S&Y SportsNet, New York. He hosts the Mets podcast. It's called the Mets Pod. S&Y is the Mets Network in New York. Joe also writes about prospects and the MLB draft. All of it can be found on S&Y.tv, and he joins us on the Circus Sports Illinois hotline. Download the circus sports app today. Joe, thanks for joining us. Of course.

I appreciate you having me. I joked that I was like, wait, was Luis Robert the backup for Kyle Tucker? But I guess it's not that much of a joke. Now, is it? How did you see this playing out when Tucker went to the Dodgers? When Kyle Tucker decided to sign with the Dodgers over the Mets, obviously the Mets made the immediate pivot to Bo Bichette, which that press conference just occurred here in New York. From there, the Mets needed an outfielder. I mean, the way that their roster was set up, Juan Soto was in right field.

And from there, they had Tyrone Taylor slated to be a centerfielder, who's more a bench type of player, and they didn't have a left fielder. So someone like Luis Robert comes in, just adds what the Mets believe is some real upside to a lineup that they've added some floor with in signing Bobichette, as well as Jorge Polanco, entering for Marcus Simeon on top of already having Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto at the top. They felt that they were in a position that Robert provides. the type of upside.

And you guys could speak to the talent level that Luis Robert has as well, having seen him for the years that he's been with Chicago. So that's kind of where the Metsium fitting as their everyday center fielder and hoping that they can get something closer to 2023, Luis Robert. Yeah, that's the hope. It was the hope for the White Sox for the past two seasons. So good luck there, keeping him healthy because it really is all about his health. I'm so curious about these prospects that are coming back this way.

Chris Gets just talked about Luis Angel Acuna and the fact that he doesn't feel like he's been given a runway but that he's a talented player. What can you tell us about what the White Sox are getting back with this infilter slash outfielder? Yeah, I would agree that frankly, Akunia, I think, is a talented player. The Mets got him in the deal for Max Scherzer back at the 2023 trade deadline. Of course, the brother of Ronald Acuna doesn't have the same skill set that his brother does. but with the Mets kind of loading up their infield and now getting Robert for center, there wasn't a clear role for Rukunya in his spot with the Mets specifically was going to be like a utility infielder that can plug in some center field.

He's been spending a lot of time down into Venezuela and Winter League playing center field. But from a skill set standpoint, you're really, it's a bat to ball kind of guy. There's almost, I'd say almost no power. Like I wouldn't expect Luis on Helacuna to come to Chicago and start popping home runs. But I think with some real runway in the lineup, there's no reason why he can't get on base at, you know, maybe a 3.30 clip, something like that, hit for a tiny bit of average, steal some bags and play some defense specifically at second and shortstop. And he's expanding his versatility to be in center field as well. And what can you tell us about Truman Pauley, the R. that was added in the deal?

Oh, he was one of my favorite grabs that the Mets had in the 2025 draft. They took him the 12th round out of Harvard and paid him a signing bonus that would be commiserate with being a late fifth, early sixth round pick. He has a special fastball that if the White Sox player development department can just get an extra tick or two of velocity on it, I think it's a special type of pitch. He shows the ability to spin a slider and he started working on a splitter and a cutter a little bit right when he joined the Mets organization in the second half of 2025. There is some need to improve on the command and the control. That certainly was an issue at Harvard and in the very, very small sample size of professional baseball.

But I think this is a real fun flyer type of arm for the White Sox to take a shot on that I think has some talent. It's just a matter of their player development department being able to maximize just the raw stuff he has. Well, Joe, this has been very informative. I'll be it quick. I'm glad to hear you guys got the Bichette press conference in before. I thought it might have been after. So thanks for squeezing us into the schedule. Of course.

I appreciate you having me. And best of luck to Acuna and to the White Sox and Pauly, I'll be following them with the White Sox as well. Yes. And when Luis Robert is healthy, he can cover a lot of ground in that Mets out. So we'll pay attention to that as well. Thanks, Joe. Thank you. Appreciate it.

That's Joe DeMayo. You can check out more of his work on Exit is at PSL to Flushing, as in Flushing Queens. He is the host of S&Y's the Mets Pod, and he also does work for S&Y TV. Coming up next here on Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 670, the score. Time to check in with our friend Danny Parkins. Should he have come to the game now since he reversed mushed the last one and helped with the Bears win? No, I think we're good with his proximity to the soldier field.

I think I got to ask him. We'll ask Danny about Sunday's game. We'll ask him about what he thinks about the thoughts of the log jam now of free agents. The Bears have to try to figure out. And more next. It really is about being able to bring in a kunia, getting access to him. And we're talking about a player that's five plus years of control, one of the younger, exciting players in our game. hasn't really gotten a runway at the major league level.

Welcome back. It's Mullen Haw, Chicago Sports Radio, 670. The score on this frigid Friday. Gabe Ramirez is in for Mully. That was Chris Gets, talking about the trade that he made that we all have been waiting for since, I would say, the summer of 2024, really. Up at the deadline, that was when Luis Robert Jr. first started to hear speculation surrounding him and his future.

And this week, the socks got it done, trading him to the Mets for Louis Hidal, a cune, and a minor league pitcher, Harvard product, Truman Pauley, right-hander with some heat, throws some velocity. I don't know what his future holds. He'll be a great trade piece for this. But Truman Pauley sounds like a name of your literature professor. Sounds like a guy from Bridgeport. Truman Pauley, hey.

But the Luis Robert Jr. deal frees up for the White Sox, $20 million that I think is relevant. And I am encouraged by Chris Gets announcing declaring that they will use that money to go out and get whatever is left on the free agent market. Now, it's not going to be what it was maybe a month ago. A.J. Prasinski sounded dissatisfied at that development, or he wasn't a guy that was blown away by this trade because he thought maybe it should have happened a month or so ago. Nonetheless, Gabe, I think that the socks are in a position

to add a veteran bat to their lineup, maybe a veteran pitcher, maybe both. I think when you're looking at this trade, obviously something that needed to happen for the Chicago White Sox. When Chris Katz says he's going to spend the money, he's not talking about the entire $20 million. I think we're very aware of that. So it's just a matter of which bucket he wants to dive into to help this team out in the short term. Obviously they got Braden Montgomery, a guy that they feel like can play center field. They have their young pitchers that are going to eventually make their way up to the bigs.

So what does help for the White Sox in the present look like? What can that be? Is it another utility guy? No, it's probably going to be pitching. Something that they can value and flip at the trade deadlines to bring in some more assets. 312-644-67-67. What did you think of the White Sox move trading Luis Robert Jr. For two prospects, one of whom could be in the opening day lineup.

Could be a center fielder. Ozzy Gien, who we know as... the White Sox expert that is on CHSN. By the way, thank you to the CHSN audience for another hour of simulcasting. But Ozzy Guyan, very high on Acuna, left a voicemail message when the trade happened, talking about how encouraged he was by what he has seen in the Venezuelan League. This is also a young man who's hit four home runs in a game. That's not easy to do in any level.

And talked about his speed and intensity. and if Ozzy likes to weigh a player plays and comports himself on the field, I think it's encouraging. He has a long way to go. But he did flash with the Mets, especially at the end of the 2024 season. So the White Sox may have gotten somebody that they can immediately, after spring training, get a good look at him, plug and play, and add some speed to the lineup. That's the benefit of being on the White Sox currently in 2026.

You get the opportunity to play baseball. and Luis Sanjanao Ocuna is definitely going to get that opportunity here with the White Sox. He's a small guy, 5-8 looks tiny when you watch the highlights of him hitting the four home runs. He's not his brother. He's not his brother by any means. Has pop, has great bat speed. How many times do you think he's heard that in his life, though? He has great pop, or he's not as good as his brother.

It's not his brother. Probably more than he would like to. Yeah, probably so. But he has an opportunity to make a name for himself on the White Sox roster, one that is, you know, is looking for offense, looking for pop, looking for another bat, someone to give you a little bit more than just that single. And I think, you know, he can do it.

And then, you know, Luis Robert Jr., sometimes you just need a new scenery. And I think that's where he's at right now. Get out to New York, be around a bunch of Latinos out there. You know, you might, you know, eat some good food, and then all of a sudden you might be playing well. Is that going to make him healthier? Playing in New York?

Or eating? All of the above, all the things that you just mentioned. I don't think Luis Robert Jr., the question not really has never been necessarily talent. It's been health. I mean, the talent, okay, he would go into slumps. Right. And he would swing at everything.

And you could get him to go outside the zone. But I always felt like he was simply a guy that couldn't stay healthy. I think it's more for me personally's commitment to the game, right? When you're looking at guys like Elohimenez, Yohamankada, people where they said they got their money and then they didn't necessarily play up to the level. of the contract that they got. Luis Robert Jr. is a different in a different category

because he was considered that five to a player that could be an MVP quality or type guy. It's unfortunate to you need to reach that. So I think when you get to a different team who has World Series aspirations, you've never been in that predicament.

And now you get the opportunity. Is your desire going to increase? Are you going to love this game the way that most people anticipated you would? Before we get to the phone lines, 3-1-2-644-67-talking socks. We can talk, too because that was a big development for the Cubs this week, a move they didn't make, Freddie Peralta, being traded to the Mets, which I think makes it easier for the Cubs to win the division, but harder to win the pennant.

Because the Mets are for real. They loaded up and had quite a week. They've added Boba Chet. They added Luis Robert Jr. And now Freddie Peralta. And I know they're missing Pete Alonzo and they had some changes, but you add those guys to Juan Soto and Lindor. Goodness sakes, that's a team that's loaded. Yeah, I mean, the NL is not, there's always going to be teams that are going to continue to try,

and that's why the pressure is always going to be on the Cubs. But listen, I was talking to David this yesterday on the Chicago lead. If you're a gambler and you see that the Cubs are plus 125 to win the NL Central, why are you not running to a guaranteed rate to refinance your house to go ahead and pull out all that money? Like, what scenario can you see, David, where the Cubs do not win the North, excuse me, the NL Central? Central. Oh, I think they're going to be favorites in the Central, but I think we have said that for previous off-season heading into spring training.

This is the year. And here come the Brewers with a bunch of anonymous misfits on their starting rotation, and they're ripping off nine in a row. Those pesky twins from the NL. They are. They are the piranhas of the NL Central. But back to what I wanted to get to real quick before we move on. You surprised me this morning with the Nugget that after the White Sox traded Luis Robert Jr., one of the reasons you were disappointed

was that you were about to interview him but in Spanish in Spanish yeah and and look I'm Puerto Rican but I was born here in Chicago okay and so like you know my my mom was at work every day she didn't she wasn't stay at home mom so who raised me were like literally the streets of Chicago so my English was

there and my Spanish is good but it's I'm not a native speaker so I was a little worried just a little worried because it was we if you didn't know it was so there's a TV show called Journey to the Shy that airs on CHSM. Takes all the prospects from the White Sox and shows you how they got to the majors. My job was going to be to interview Luis Robert Jr. in Español

and talked to him about his ascension to the Biggs. And I was worried about it. And so I said a little prayer to God and I said, God, if you don't think my Spanish is good enough, can you just trade Luis Robert Jr. before next week, Friday? And sure enough, his ass got traded.

So obviously have a direct line to God. Wow. If you're going to cash in one of your markers, do you really want that to be the one? Hey, I'm a sock fan too. So, win-win for everybody. So who's going to replace him on the journey to the show? David, you know me at CHSN.

I am bottom of the totem pole. So no one. That was the one guy I was going to interview. Chuck was going to do everybody else. So I'm sure that he's not there. It's like, all right, let's just keep you. No, no, please don't put that pressure. We've got to find somebody.

I want to hear you interview somebody in Spanish. I want to hear you interview somebody in Spanish. That would be pretty cool. I have my questions and everything. I was practicing every day. Well, it was quite a journey, and I can remember the day that he was introduced at the rate. At the time it was U.S. Cellular Field, and he was coming in here after signing, getting a $26 million bonus, and coming in with all of the expectations and comparisons.

We heard Mike Trout. We heard Eric Davis. You heard one superstar after another likened to Luis Robert Jr. skill set. And there were glimpses of that. And we saw not that long ago, a couple seasons ago. him be that kind of a player, he just couldn't stay healthy. Yeah, and when you're looking at him, I mean, the body type, right? You're looking at this giant, just, you know, obviously roam center field, catch things

with ease, great jumps on the ball, great read off the bat. And then at the plate, the bat speed and the power to change the game in the course of an inning. I mean, they were there. For me, it was always, I gave him flack because I felt like there was a point in time where Luis Robert Jr. could have asked for the reins of the team and been that leader and been like, I want to be, why are you smart?

Why do you do this? You do this when I talk about certain things. I'm just imagining like Luis Robert Jr. asking for the reins of the team and asking God to make him a better leader. And then God trades them. He trades him away. I wish he would have been the leader of the team. because that's what the White Sox have been needing for some years, right?

That's why Koso Montgomery, when he comes in at the tail end, he's like, yeah, I fixed everything I want to be here. This is a good group team. Like, you can get behind that. And there was nothing to get behind for the White So, Luis Robert Julianne, being the star that he was and everybody being behind him, had he done that, he might have stuck around for a couple of them. No doubt about it.

You know what Koso Montgomery needs to do this offseason? Start hanging out with PCA and Caleb. He's not there yet. He's not there yet. He's not in their category yet. Modus and PCA and Caleb. Yeah, he's not there. I don't think Modis might be there yet.

Modis is there. Yeah, yeah. They're all part of the crew. You think? Yeah. You think Modis is out of level with Caleb Williams and Pete Crowe Armstrong? In terms of the young stars of the city, yes, modest is there. I think you're overstating it.

I don't think modest is there yet. See, this is why we need probably Zion or Jha or somebody else. Yes. Yes. Caleb doesn't want to hang out with Jambra. You think that you got, I can see PCA and Caleb. They're, you know, they're stars. They're all stars.

Modis? David, I know. He's out his way. He's out his way. I know you remember that I got a chance to hang out with Modis. Oh, I remember that. Oh, my God. He's like a 12-year-old kid walking in that day.

Hey, he gets where I was. Let me show you this picture. I got a chance to hang out with Modis. I know you don't care, David. But I was with them at this, at Lyrical Lemonade, which is a, you know, cultural hub in Chicago. And if you looked at Caleb Williams at the end of his press conference, after the game against the Rams, he was wearing a lyrical lemonade t-shirt.

when Modis was coming to the stadium wearing that Bears jacket it was a lyrical lemonade bear's jacket so there's synergy there with that so it's PCA Modus I get it all right young young guys more the merrier they're young let them have some fun

let them have some fun yeah let's go out to the phone lines Tony is in Wonder Lake Tony welcome to Mully and Haw how are you guys how you doing that is a great story Gabe I tell you that is a fantastic story you know Mully mentioned something yesterday

and I'm going to preface this he's not here, so we can't find out for sure, but my perception of this was this was fact. So he said something yesterday where if a Major League Baseball team refuses to spend under a certain threshold, it acts no different than a luxury tax. If a team continues to be futile, Major League Baseball can take action. Now, is there any truth to that? And if so, what are the guidelines? Does anybody know if that's true? are you basically asking if there's a floor for major league baseball no he's he's talking about being a tax like a reverse tax where if you're taxing those that go over the luxury

you text them below that that that would imply that you'd have to spend at a certain level right but and then also because there's profit sharing in baseball if you were taxed as a low as low spending team you'll just get some of that money back anyway because it's profit sharing i think that what tony is asking and maybe uh will be all part of the conversation surrounding the next CBA because there are owners who will want a cap, if you will, or you call it what you want, competitive balance tax, a salary cap, it's the same idea. And then with that will come a salary floor, maybe a threshold that each team needs to meet so they don't have teams that are getting away with having $50 million payrolls.

Yeah, and then when you're looking at the Dodgers, I don't think the, consequence is harsh enough when it comes to going into that second tier, right? Like if you're getting taxed 100%, but they're making billions of dollars, they don't care about that 100%. If you're a repeat offender, that should just go up to an amount that makes it hurt. 773 texter. I love PCA, but hanging out with Caleb Williams doesn't erase the disaster of a second half at the plate last year. All-Star fielder middling hitter.

Yeah, should PCA be hanging out with Caleb Williams? Okay, I know. Yes, the answer is yes. And 773, Matas has that from Chicago factor. True. That's true. True. Local guy made good.

How did you feel about for PCA when they were at the United Center and it was like, little golf clap for PCA? And then just an enormous roar. I was like, people don't know who that is. Do you know? They thought it was a punter. One of those guys has been to an all-star game and it's not the quarterback. It makes me go back to y'all original.

Remember y'all had like probably a year ago who was going to be the biggest star in Chicago? Dustin said PCA, but now I feel like now that Caleb's here. And that was before we had Caleb. Sure. So now I wonder the new order of Chicago stars. The new order of Chicago stars. Yeah, if you're going top five, is modest Bezellis in that list of stars?

Future stars. Yes. Oh, Gabe. Did you see the dunk he had yesterday on Dante DiVincenzo? Oh, come on, David. Oh, my bad. You're too busy watching Oliver Moore. score a couple goals

or score a goal yesterday. I will not take this hockey hate. Let's go out to the phone lines. Jeff joins us on the Odyssey app. Jeff, how are you? Hey, good morning, gentlemen. We have the Pope, and now we have Gabe Ramirez.

We are going to the World Series. Everybody's got a line with guys. Let's go. I could send another prayer for the team. I wanted Luis Robert to flourish in Chicago, but he was looking too much like a Yohan Moncada thing, where he had one good year, and every year after that and before that was iffy and with his

injuries, if you could get somebody decent out of it, and if the Coon is decent, I think it's a good trade. I mean, they took all the money, so, I mean, you're not paying him at all. And now we get to see how well gets can develop talent and the rest of this team, the coaching staff, and start young. And maybe this year we get into that 70 wins and look for, 80 and hopefully 90 within the next two or three years. But that trade really was a no-brainer, I think, when it came to it at the end there.

Thanks, Jeff. I think you're right. I think they had to do that. And he wasn't going to come back and start another season in the opening day lineup. The Sox's biggest star who could hang with those guys, Caleb and PCA, might not even be here yet. Who are you thinking, Noah Schultz or something like that? Rock Cholovsky. Okay.

You're absolutely right. He belongs with that. That guy's got it. He belongs to. He's got the pedigree. He's going to be the first overall pick in all likelihood, barring injury or decline. You could see maybe... PCA's going to hate on him, though.

PCA's going to be like, you can't hang with us. I don't think so. PCA's not that kind of guy. Humble. He's a humble guy. I need to snicker now at you. Look at snicker. Did you hear the interview on inside the clubhouse last Saturday morning?

He was sitting right next to Bruce and I. Dustin was there, made a strong impression. We've seen him before, but that was just a, yeah, PCA's easy guy to be around. But Rock Cholosky could be the next big thing. I'd love that. I would love for any White Sox player to get into that inner circle. That'd be awesome. Kosa Montgomery.

If he has the kind of first half, boy, that he had in the second half, then that, the socks is going to be fun to watch. Sox needs some pitching. They need another hit. They need another hit or two. they need to use that $20 million wisely