Luis Robert Jr. Reportedly Eyed by Padres amid Mets, Phillies MLB Trade Rumors

The San Diego Padres have joined the group of teams that are looking to add Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Padres have "emerged" as a potential landing spot for Robert after the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies previously showed interest in the 27-year-old.

The Padres are shaping up to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch leading up to the deadline at 6 p.m. ET. They were recently connected to Athletics reliever Mason Miller, while also keeping tabs on Steven Kwan and Jarren Duran, per The Athletic's Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal.

Lin and Rosenthal noted Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller would be willing to discuss top prospects Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas in talks for Miller, Kwan or Duran.

Robert presumably won't have such a steep asking price, but the White Sox don't seem inclined to deal him just for the sake of making a move.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the White Sox and Mets have at least discussed Luisangel Acuna and Mark Vientos in talks for Robert.

The Phillies did tap into their prospect well on Wednesday by sending pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait to the Minnesota Twins for closer Jhoan Durán, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid to keep being aggressive in order to maximize his team's chances of winning.

If the Padres were to acquire Robert, they would presumably shift him to left field since Jackson Merrill is entrenched in center. Left field has been a disaster spot in the lineup for San Diego with a collective .229/.283/.330 slash line in 109 games.

Robert, even in a down season, would be an upgrade for the Padres. He is hitting .213/.300/.353 with 11 homers and 27 stolen bases in 344 plate appearances.

The Padres (60-49) are only three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and hold a three game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the NL's final wild card spot.