Padres hit with a brutal double-loss in the Mets’ Luis Robert Jr. trade

For Padres fans, the Luis Robert Jr. trade isn’t just a “welp, that guy’s off the board” moment. It’s the kind of transaction that makes you feel like you lost a chess match without even getting to take your turn.

Because the Mets didn’t only grab Robert from the White Sox. They did it by sending Luisangel Acuña — a name that was a plausible “change-of-scenery” target in any Mets-Padres framework — plus right-hander Truman Pauley to Chicago. 

So the Padres lost out on a player they once had interest in — Luis Robert Jr. — and the type of prospect they would’ve loved to pry loose from New York. One swing.

Padres’ painful Luis Robert Jr. miss comes with a second sting nobody expected

Even in a down 2025 where he hit .223/.297/.364, Robert still swiped 33 bags, and the defense/speed baseline makes him a real “change the shape of your roster” guy. And the contract structure is the exact kind of two-year window teams convince themselves is manageable: $20 million for 2026, plus a $20 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout. 

If you’re San Diego, the pitch sells itself: your lineup doesn’t need another singles-only solution. It needs a chaos bat who can actually play the outfield.

Here’s the part that makes it feel like a double loss. Acuña is a 23-year-old with real defensive versatility (Passan notes he’s played second, short, third, and center in limited MLB time) and he’s coming off a winter where he was raking in Venezuela. 

And that’s exactly why Padres fans are going to grimace at the details: Acuña is the kind of buy-low-ish, athletic, multi-position piece that could’ve fit in San Diego’s constant roster Tetris. He’s the kind of name that gets floated when the Padres sniff around other teams’ depth, especially a Mets club that just rearranged its own infield mix with Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco.

This deal also underlines a not-so-fun reality: New York could swallow the financial pain that comes with the Robert gamble.

Passan reported the Mets are taking on Robert’s $20 million salary — and because they’re above the top competitive balance tax tier, the “true” cost lands around $42 million once penalties are factored in.

San Diego’s version of the Robert pursuit always had to be cleaner: less money, less risk, more certainty. The Mets just showed what happens when a team decides certainty is overrated and upside is the point.

That’s why this one lands as a double loss: you didn’t get the player, and you didn’t get the leverage. The Mets did, and the rest of the market just watched them prove it can be done.