Amidst Luis Robert Jr pipe dream, should the Chicago Cubs trade Pete Crow-Armstrong?

With the Chicago White Sox being one of the few teams that are a clear seller ahead of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline next month, speculation has centered around superstar center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

Robert could be one of the best position players on the market at the deadline and unlike a player such as New York Mets' first baseman Pete Alonso, Robert is under team control beyond this season. Robert is under contract through the 2025 season but has a pair of club options for the final two years, 2026 and 2027.

Given the Cubs' need for an impact bat, some within the Cubs' beat have already speculated about Robert moving from the South Side to the North Side.

Latest Chicago Cubs trade rumor begs an important question

Our friends at SouthSide Showdown wasted no time in drumming up three different trade packages between the Cubs and White Sox. Two of the three packages suggest included the Cubs giving up center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The question that needs to be asked for the Cubs is whether or not Crow-Armstrong is a prospect that the team would be willing to trade in order to improve the short-term outlook of the team.

The quick answer to that question is no. At 22 years old, Crow-Armstrong is still multiple seasons away from reaching his prime but his defensive ability has already been confirmed given that he has recorded 4 outs above average in only 32 games played.

As the Cubs are looking for ways to improve their chances of making the postseason in 2024, Crow-Armstrong is not the type of prospect they should be willing to move. For a Cubs' team that was constructed with the goal of making the postseason, not winning the World Series, trading Crow-Armstrong makes little to no sense at the start of their contention window.

There are exceptions to every rule, and a player the caliber of Robert is certainly one who would have the Cubs' front office at least consider the possibility of trading Crow-Armstrong. However, even that trade scenario would be a risk, considering Robert has only played in over 100 games in a season once since making his Major League debut in 2020.