Luis Robert Jr., a former Silver Slugger winner who has made $93 million throughout his career, is now an Oriole. This happened after the New York Mets placed the outfielder on outright waivers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite their offensive struggles, completely missed out on adding him to their roster.
LA’s Offense Needed a Shot in the Arm
The Dodgers are in the mix for the playoffs right now, but their offense? It’s been struggling, big time. If the back-to-back World Series champions want another deep postseason run, they absolutely need to improve at the plate. Dodgers Nation’s Nelson Espinal was yelling from the rooftops for LA to claim Robert Jr., seeing him as exactly the kind of player they needed. Espinal even pointed out Robert Jr. could help the depth of the Dodgers and give their two struggling outfielders some much-needed competition.
Robert Jr. is an attractive player when healthy, but staying on the field has been a struggle for him this season. Still, if he can keep hitting the ball as he has recently, Espinal said he’d immediately help an offense. Plus, with the Dodgers known to spare no expense to win games, it’s hard to argue he wouldn’t have been an upgrade.
Baltimore Took the $5 Million Gamble
The league gave all 29 other teams 48 hours to claim Robert Jr. from the Mets. He was even eligible to keep playing for New York during the process. But when the dust settled, it wasn’t Los Angeles who snatched him up. Nope. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the Baltimore Orioles took a “$5 million gamble” and claimed the center fielder.
This could sting, big time, for Los Angeles. The opportunity was right there for the taking, especially with their current roster injuries. Robert Jr. could have at least provided another experienced bat off the bench.
If the Dodgers’ offense keeps sputtering, allowing Robert Jr. to land in Baltimore could prove to be a significant missed opportunity. This could ultimately come back to bite the Dodgers if Robert Jr. finds his form and sparks the Orioles during the stretch run.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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