SAN DIEGO — If the Mets decide Luis Robert Jr. represents an enticing upgrade in center field, they would be betting on his upside — an MVP candidate as recently as 2023 who has slugged 38 home runs in a season and won a Gold Glove.

They would be betting on their own coaching staff, whom they would trust to elevate Robert’s game back toward the vicinity of what it was.

And they would be betting that a talented player leaving a losing team in Chicago and joining a contender on a coast would help Robert — who turns 28 on Sunday — unlock a better version of himself. That kind of fresh start can help, reports someone who would know.

“I think there’s something to it,” Padres outfielder/first baseman/DH Gavin Sheets said. “Obviously, [Robert is] a tremendous player. I can’t speak for him. I don’t know what the situation is over there.