If the San Diego Padres really are going to roll the dice on Luis Robert Jr., it has to be the right kind of gamble — not the “empty the farm for a guy who’s been unavailable and average for two years” kind.
Because that’s where we are with Robert right now. The talent is still obvious. The problem is everything else. He’s coming off back-to-back seasons where he didn’t stay on the field the whole way, and the production has looked a lot more “mid-80s OPS+” than “center-field monster.” Teams aren’t ignoring the upside… but they’re also not pretending it’s 2023 anymore.