I really don't think Rooker has that much value. Robert is going to command the highest price if he is dealt because he's a 26 year old 5-tool CF. We see it all the time where teams devalue corner players who have no real carrying skills, because most teams tend to fill those spots internally.
If we really want to go all-in, Robert is the guy, because although there's injury risk, he's a true blue CF with the power-speed combo to have a major impact. If the White Sox are going to fully blow it up and trade Crochet, then it's totally feasible that they'd like Chandler as a centerpiece, though I think the strongest deal would be one headlined by Coby Mayo from Baltimore.
It is definitely hard to find any real comps for a Rooker trade. He's a late breakout player who is probably having a career year this year, with a batting average and walk rate that makes a pretty much guaranteed 30+% strikeout rate a lot more palatable. I don't like the decontextualized use of this stat but he leads MLB in BABIP at .390, and something that is noticeable about established players who are also right up there with high BABIPs (guys like Witt, Altuve, Yelich, and Kwan) is that they strike out way less. (Of course, it also correlates with hitting the ball hard, as Rooker does well).
In any case, I think that's what the book will be on Rooker. If you buy that he could repeat this type of season even once in 2025, then he is worth a decently hefty price, but there's also a world where he falls off a cliff if his strikeout rate inflates any more.
Oakland is going to have every incentive to deal him, but their trading pattern since forever has been the "surefire contributor" approach to gathering talent. I don't think it's a slam dunk that the proposal kicked around with Priester would get it done, but Priester is exactly the same kind of pitching prospect they have gone for in other deals where they added guys like Sears, Muller, etc.
IMO there's always no way Cutch retires after this season given what he has said and the fact that he bounced back offensively this year. Rooker might not be a perfect fit for that reason. I have no clue how he is defensively, but he's played the field a lot less this year than last year, and last year he only played 58 games in the field (14 this year).
All these factors are why I prefer taking the swing on Jazz Chisholm the most, though now it sounds like he is playing some 2B to try and increase his potential value. I'm skeptical that some of the major contenders like the Yankees are going to really go for a guy like Jazz. I'm equally skeptical about the rumors he's a bad locker room presence, as that just seems based on cliched stereotypes.
But I think he's attainable in a trade and can play an adequate CF, with some room to blossom even further offensively.
The final thing I'd add for now is that Cherington seems to like the lower profile player-for-player type swaps. I don't know what an analogue for the Castro-Falter deal is, but that's the kind of hard to predict move I expect to actually happen.
