Longtime New York Yankees reliever David Robertson has signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Longtime New York Yankees reliever David Robertson has agreed to a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand broke the news on Twitter.
Per Feinsand, Robertson’s deal is worth $23 million and also includes a $12 million option for a third year.
BREAKING: David Robertson has agreed to a two-year deal with the Phillies that guarantees him at least $23 million. He’ll earn $10M in 2019, $11M in 2020, with a $12M club option ($2M buyout) for 2021. He’s passed a physical and the deal is complete.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 3, 2019
Bob Nightengale of USA Today added since Robertson served as his own agent this offseason, he has already taken a physical and the deal is official.
David Robertson, who represented himself in the negotiatons, already completed his physical so the deal will be officially announced today. #Phillies
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 3, 2019
Robertson, 33, just completed his second stint with the Yankees. He went 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 69 games. Robertson also registered five saves. He generated controversy at season’s end when, per George A. King III of the New York Post, he allegedly led a players-only vote to deny playoff shares to members of the training staff.
His role in Philadelphia remains to be seen. Though he served primarily as a setup man for the Yankees, Robertson had 39 saves with the Bronx Bombers in 2014. He also saved 84 games in two-and-a-half seasons for the Chicago White Sox before returning to New York in 2017.
Robertson could easily take over as the Phillies’ closer, but Seranthony Dominguez had 16 saves with a 2.93 ERA for Philly last year. Barring a change, it sounds like Robertson will either be a setup man or compete for the closer’s job in Spring Training.
As for the Yankees, filling that void in the bullpen won’t be easy. Zach Britton has expressed interest in returning, but the Red Sox are also interested. The Yankees have also been linked to Brooklyn native and Colorado Rockies bullpen star Adam Ottavino.
Thus, though David Robertson will be missed, New York isn’t without options. Still, with Robertson arguably setting the market, they’d better step on the gas and sign a new reliever soon.
