Rangers agree to 1-year deal with reliever Robertson (report)

5:39 AM UTC

The Rangers are bolstering their bullpen in anticipation of another World Series run, agreeing to a one-year contract with veteran right-hander David Robertson, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The club has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical and reportedly in the $11-12 million range. The 40-man roster is full, so a corresponding move should follow when the signing is official.  

Robertson was, for the second consecutive season, one of the more highly sought-after relievers available at the 2023 Deadline, but the transition after his July 28 trade from the Mets to the Marlins – his fifth team since August 2021 — was especially brutal. In 10 August appearances, he pitched to a 9.00 ERA and was demoted from the closer role entering the home stretch of Miami’s playoff push.

He did recover following the demotion, however, allowing just two runs over his final 11 regular-season appearances and ending the year with a 3.03 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.

Entering his 15th Major League season, Robertson’s 793 regular season and 42 postseason appearances are the second and third most among active pitchers, respectively. In May, he became just the 14th pitcher in AL/NL history to record 1,000 strikeouts as a reliever, and his career 11.8 K/9 is the sixth highest in the Modern Era among pitchers with at least 500 IP.

Although 2024 would be his age-39 season, Robertson did undergo Tommy John surgery in August 2019, which, in addition to creating a two-year gap in his Major League resume, appears to have revitalized his career. Since his return with the Rays in August 2021, he’s posted a 2.87 ERA with 175 strikeouts in 141 innings (11.2 K/9).

Robertson will provide a much needed boost to the Rangers’ bullpen going into 2024 as he joins Kirby Yates as an offseason addition.

Texas finished 24th in MLB in bullpen ERA (4.77) in the regular season, while going just 30-for-63 (47.6 percent) in save opportunities. The unit stepped up in a big way during the postseason run, especially players like José Leclerc and Josh Sborz. Robertson will provide much more stability than the club saw last year. 

While Leclerc likely enters Spring Training leading the conversation at closer — having reclaimed the job after a dominant postseason — manager Bruce Bochy will no doubt evaluate all options in high-leverage situations. Robertson was 18-of-24 on saves in 2023, which was better than every Texas reliever last season except Will Smith, who went 22-of-27, but lost the closer job down the stretch. 

With Smith and Aroldis Chapman departing in free agency, the additions of Robertson and Yates are a grounding force for a bullpen in much need of stabilization.