Phillies Rumors: MLB insider shuts down Phillies-White Sox Luis Robert Jr. trade

It has been known that the Philadelphia Phillies have been looking for upgrades to their outfield ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Among their potential targets is former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox. With the ability to be a difference maker both in the field and at the plate, he would be a huge deadline addition to any team, not to mention an already-potent Phillies lineup.

However, MLB insider Jon Heyman recently delivered some bad news for the Phillies and their faithful. He claimed that the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers would be the "most likely" landing spots for the White Sox superstar.

Phillies Rumors: MLB insider shuts down Phillies-White Sox Luis Robert Jr. trade

As for the Phillies, Heyman said he believed that they are primarily in the market for just a fourth outfielder.

This update will certainly disappoint those fans looking forward to Philadelphia making a big splash ahead of the stretch run. After all, the outfield still remains one of the main weaknesses of the ballclub this season. Despite being better of late, the inconsistencies in the play of both Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos in 2024 should have management somewhat concerned heading into the postseason. On top of that, Brandon Marsh has also fallen off quite a bit since his hot start in the first month of the season.

While Robert may not be hitting for average so far this season at .227, he has maintained his power and productivity with 21 runs scored, 10 home runs and 19 RBI in just 37 games. Over a full 162-game schedule pace, that projects to 97 runs scored, 46 home runs and 83 RBI worth of production. He has been heating up recently, slashing .333/.400/.639 over his last 40 plate appearances heading into Sunday's action.

On top of that, he has been a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases this season, showing no ill effects from the right hip flexor strain that sidelined him for almost two months. Defensively, the former Gold Glove winner has only committed one error while playing some sound defense in the outfield.

It was expected that the Phillies would need to sacrifice a boatload of top prospects to get a deal done to secure Robert's services. If the intention is to go all-in for a World Series this season, it's a gamble worth taking. However, after Heyman's discouraging insight, the possibility of the Phillies landing the superstar appears slim to none.