One of the oldest, yet most reliable bullpen arms has officially come off the market. David Robertson has signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Per Passan, the deal is in the range of $11-12 million. Between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins in 2023, Robertson tossed 65 1/3 innings with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.194 WHIP. He is expected to provide a reliable presence and solid production to the back end of the defending champs’ bullpen.
Right-handed reliever David Robertson and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a one-year contract in the $11-12 million range, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. The World Series champs bulk up their bullpen with the veteran closer who has 175 career saves.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 26, 2024
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David Robertson Signs With Rangers
Robertson is a battle-tested, versatile arm that can handle any situation. Texas, no doubt, was intrigued with not only Robertson’s production, but the flexibility he could give manager Bruce Bochy when using arms late in games. Robertson has the ability to close, set up, or put out fires in the middle innings.
The veteran relies on a Mariano Rivera-esque cutter that had a 14 Run Value last season. He threw it 53.4 percent of the time last year at an average speed of 93.3 mph. Batters hit only .183/.252/.255 of it, and the pitch’s late movement certainly helped Robertson produce a Barrel percentage in the 80th percentile.
Overall in 2023, Robertson struck hitters out at an above-average rate (29 strikeout percentage) and generated an elite 31.2 Whiff percentage. He walked hitters at a slightly high 9.3 percent rate, but produced great strikeout and ground ball rates (44.2 percent) to make up for it.
David Robertson finishes off the 5-out save and the Mets win it! pic.twitter.com/fS44vZEr3d
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2023
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While he never gave up more than two runs in an outing with the Mets (he did that just once), Robertson gave up 2 or 3 runs four times in 22 games with the Marlins. His numbers in Miami look poor at first. But when removing the four blowups, they look as good as they did in New York.
The biggest red flag with Robertson’s profile is his age. He will be 39 in early April and will no longer be effective at some point. However, he has a reputation for taking care of his body and relying on intelligence, not stuff, to retire hitters. These traits help older pitchers last longer, and Robertson is worth the risk on a short-term deal.
Photo Credit: “David Robertson” by IDSportsPhoto is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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