Luisangel Acuña had been on the Chicago White Sox’s radar for a long time.
General manager Chris Getz described the infielder/outfielder as “a young, exciting player that plays all over the diamond, a strong defender, an elite defender, elite base runner, can make contact, very strong instincts for the game.”
“To get a chance at bringing in a player like that and gain some more flexibility with moving (center fielder) Luis (Robert Jr.) seemed like something we needed to strike on and we went ahead and did that,” Getz said during a videoconference call Wednesday.
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The Sox acquired Acuña and minor-league right-handed pitcher Truman Pauley late Tuesday, sending Robert to the New York Mets.
Acuña learned about the trade after playing in a Venezuelan Winter League game.
“I’m happy with this trade, I’m happy with this opportunity,” Acuña said through an interpreter during a videoconference call Wednesday.
Acuña, 23, has a career .248/.299/.341 slash line with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 36 runs and 16 stolen bases in 109 games during parts of two major-league seasons with the Mets. He slashed .234/.293/.274 with seven doubles, eight RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 95 games in 2025.
“At the end of the year in New York, he and the coaches and their head of hitting, they were working on some swing adjustments, some swing changes that allowed him to get the ball in the air a little bit more because he had heavy ground ball tendencies,” Getz said. “They started to see those strides.
“He’s been able to take that into winter league in Venezuela — that’s not always an automatic it’s going to translate, we have to acknowledge that. There are some indicators he is headed in the right direction, and you put that on top of the fact that he’s going to come to a club where we can give him consistent at-bats to test and get early feedback on those adjustments. If he needs to make more, you rinse and repeat.”
Acuña — the younger brother of 2023 National League Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves — describes himself as “the kind of player that plays hard, hustles, that likes to enjoy the game.”
He has connections through the Venezuelan Winter League with Sox outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Lenyn Sosa. And he heard from Sox third baseman/first baseman Miguel Vargas on Tuesday night.
“He texted me last night and he said whatever I need, I can reach out to him and that he’s here to help me,” Acuña said.
Former Sox shortstop and manager and current analyst and fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillén also reached out to Acuña.
“He called me last night saying that he was very happy for me and that it was a very good opportunity,” Acuña said.
Robert’s departure creates a shake-up in the outfield. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi returns along with the versatile Brooks Baldwin. Outfield options listed on the 40-man roster also include Derek Hill, Pereira and Tristan Peters.
Acuña has made major-league starts at second base, shortstop and third base. This winter, he has played at shortstop and in center field. Center will be an option for him this season with the Sox.
“You look at the defensive projection, he grades out above average in all places, including center field,” Getz said. “He’s been playing center field in Venezuela. He’s plus, maybe even plus-plus in every infield position, and I would imagine in time he’s going to be plus in center field if he isn’t already. But the beauty of this is the versatility. When you’re looking to optimize your defense, he slides in pretty much anywhere on the field.
“So just to have that valuable piece is going to make (manager) Will (Venable’s) job a lot easier in optimizing a lineup on a regular basis. You look at the next five-plus years with Acuña hopefully on our club, you’re looking at a guy that can play at any of these positions. He’s played the most at shortstop and second base and has showed elite defense there. But the ability to really move other guys around with his ability to fill in everywhere is extremely valuable for us.”
Acuña has six minor-league seasons in the Texas Rangers (2019, 2021-23) and Mets (2023-25) organizations under his belt. Pauley, 22, got his first taste of professional baseball in 2025, making three starts for Class A St. Lucie. He had a 2.08 ERA, allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings while striking out three.
The Mets selected Pauley in the 12th round of the 2025 draft out of Harvard, where he studied mechanical engineering.
“You look at the stuff, the ability to spin the baseball just allows us to really hone in on his development and his arsenal to tap into some real upside,” Getz said. “It’s still a work in progress. They paid him a fair amount of money with the round he was taken in.
“He’s a guy we are familiar with, certainly have been tracking him for a while. Our (research and development) were really high on him, and the scouts were there to support it as well. We felt as if it was a nice addition. There were a pool of players we were discussing, we decided to go with him.”