The New York Yankees are reportedly contemplating a bold offseason move: acquiring Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., despite his modest 2025 output and a hefty $50 million contract. Once highly promising, Robert’s production declined sharply this season, compounded by a season-ending injury.

According to Ryan Garcia of Fireside Yankees, the 27-year-old finished 2025 with an 84 weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), indicating he produced 16% less than the league average. Before his injury, Robert played over 110 games, hitting .223 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs. Yet, his defensive value remains, highlighted by 33 stolen bases and notable speed and athleticism vital in today’s game.

The “liability” label comes directly from Robert’s offensive collapse. An 84 wRC+ is a big drop for a player who had the potential to be a star. With these numbers, Robert would be one of the least productive outfielders in the league. This raises real questions about whether his performance is due to injuries, changes in his approach, or a general decline in his abilities. The White Sox put a lot of money into Robert’s talent, but when he couldn’t play at an elite level in 2025, what should have been a key asset turned into a bad contract situation.

Robert himself addressed his future ambitions during a recent Zoom call, stating, “Hopefully I can stay with this team for a long time, and if that’s not the case, then I’ll do my best with another team.” Robert’s optimism is more about changes in the organization than about his own redemption, but his willingness to embrace movement shows that he knows where he stands in the market right now. The Yankees have to decide whether to spend money on Robert’s resurrection or on something else while they keep changing their roster.

Yankees add Kervin Castro while pursuing Luis Robert Jr.

The Robert pursuit is getting a lot of attention in the news, but the New York Yankees are carefully building their relief corps. The organization’s recent moves show that the Yankees are trying to build up their pitching depth while also looking for power. These two goals seem to be at odds with each other, which suggests that Yankees management is working on more than one front this offseason.

After letting go of Jonathan Loaisiga, a pitcher who had been with the Yankees since 2018, the team wasted no time moving on. New York had to decide because he didn’t do well in 2025, and by turning down his $5 million option, they made room on the roster. Instead of letting that space go to waste, the franchise took action. On Thursday, the team added Kervin Castro, a right-handed pitcher from Venezuela, to its 40-man roster. This move shows that the team is confident in his growth and keeps him from becoming a free agent in 2026.

Castro had a great year in 2025 with Scranton/Wilkes Barre in Triple-A. He went 5-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 47 games. His four saves showed that he could do a lot of different things, and his setup work showed that he could pitch the kind of reliable innings that the Yankees really need. Even though he was known as a “4-A pitcher,” which means he was too good for the minor leagues but not ready for the major leagues, the 26-year-old’s numbers made him a serious candidate.

His path hasn’t been easy; he’s had to stop at the Giants, Cubs, Tigers, and Astros organizations along the way. He missed all of 2024 because of Tommy John surgery, which stopped the momentum he had built up during his 10⅔-inning stint with the Cubs in 2022. But his Triple-A comeback last year showed that he really could bounce back and be strong.