What White Sox see in Luisangel Acuna after Mets trade: ‘Didn’t want to get rid of him’

The White Sox are thrilled with their return for Luis Robert Jr.

Less than 24 hours after dealing the All-Star centerfielder to the Mets in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuña and pitching prospect Truman Pauley, White Sox general manager Chris Getz gushed about acquiring a player “the industry has been really high on.”

“It’s really about being able to bring in Acuña, get access to him,” Getz told reporters about the trade Wednesday. “We’re talking about a player with five-plus years of control, one of the younger, exciting players in our game who hasn’t really gotten a runway at the major league level.”

Acuña, 23, joined the Mets at the 2023 trade deadline as the centerpiece of the deal that sent legendary pitcher Max Scherzer to the Rangers.

MLB.com ranked the speedster as New York’s third-best prospect in 2024, and he impressed in his brief major league debut that year, slashing .308/.325/.641 with three homers and six RBIs in 14 games.

He got off to a strong start in 2025, earning NL Rookie of the Month honors for April before falling into a deep slump and being demoted to Triple-A.

The Mets shuttled Acuña between the majors and minors the rest of the year as he hit a paltry .234 with no home runs and eight RBIs over 95 games.

Still, Getz believes Acuña’s speed and versatility – with experience at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield – make him a prime breakout candidate with consistent playing time.

He already flashed some of that potential earlier this month with a historic Venezuelan winter league performance, hitting four home runs.

“I know [the Mets] didn’t want to get rid of him,” Getz said. “I know that. That’s because of how valuable he can be to the team.

“Now, he was on a roster that didn’t really allow him to let him go out there and show what he could do regularly. We’ll be able to provide that.”

Getz’s faith in Acuña echoed that of Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns during the GM Meetings in November.

“Acuña is such a unique player because the floor is so high of what he can provide,” Stearns said. “He’s such a good defender, a gifted defender at multiple positions, and an elite baserunner. So the offensive contribution doesn’t need to be elite for him to solidify an everyday role on a major league team.

“I still have very high hopes for him. We need to see a little bit more offensive contribution than we’ve probably seen previously, but he is a very, very good defensive player and there’s a real role for that on a good team.”

In a Wednesday Instagram post, Acuña bid farewell to the Mets, expressing gratitude for his time with the organization before addressing his “new chapter.”

“Today, I begin a new chapter,” the post read. “Chicago, I’m ready to take on this challenge on the South Side. I’m thankful to the Chicago White Sox organization for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I arrive with excitement, commitment, and a strong desire to continue growing both as a player and as a person.”

The Mets’ signing of Bo Bichette, who was officially introduced at Citi Field on Wednesday, tacked on to New York’s existing surplus of infielders, thus making Acuna expendable.

In what’s been a busy offseason for the White Sox – highlighted by the signing of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami – Acuña also became the club’s latest acquisition of a former top Mets prospect.

Chicago has already signed left-hander Anthony Kay, the Mets’ 2016 first-round pick, to a two-year deal after his stint in Japan, and also took a flier on outfielder Jarred Kelenic.