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David Robertson Should Top New York Yankees’ Offseason List

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By @chriswgamble

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The New York Yankees’ season has come to end short of the playoffs for the second straight year and the Yankees have a head start on getting their offseason plans in order. Right at the top of the to-do list for Brian Cashman, assuming he is brought back on a new contract which it looks like he will, should be locking up David Robertson to a long-term deal.

Sure, the Yankees already have Dellin Betances who has been labeled as the closer of the future after his stellar rookie campaign that saw him strikeout 135 batters in just 90 innings and featured a miniscule WHIP of 0.78 and 1.40 ERA. However, Robertson had himself a fine year himself, fanning 96 in 64.1 innings and posting a 3.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP and 39 saves. The Yankees didn’t have many bright spots this season but the backend of the bullpen was certainly one of them.

The combination of Betances and Robertson was similar to the Mariano Rivera – John Wetteland combination the Yankees utilized in 1996 on their way to a World Series. Although Wetteland was gone before the Yankees won their next title in 1998 and Rivera was closing, the Yankees did have Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton setting Rivera up. Games were shortened to six or seven inning affairs. If the Yankees had the lead opposing teams knew there wouldn’t be much of a chance to win in the late innings.

Right now with Betances and Adam Warren setting Robertson up the Yankees essentially can shorten the game by two or three innings. Given the question marks surrounding their starting rotation having a bullpen, especially one as lethal as what the Yankees have.

Robertson has done extremely well for the Yankees in both the set-up and closers role. He is a known commodity. Betances had a record-setting year as a set-up man. Will Betances enjoy similar success as a closer? Most likely. However, with so many questions surrounding the Yankees this offseason the one free agent they should retain is Robertson.

If Betances falters or goes down to injury then the Yankees are looking at Shawn Kelley or Adam Warren closing games. Betances has been a starter prior to his transition to the pen last season. His arm is not used to pitching consecutive days and while he held up well this season the Yankees can’t gamble their 2015 season on his arm when they have so much riding on the questionable arms and knees of Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova and C.C. Sabathia.

As soon as Cashman signs his contract he should call Robertson’s agent and get a deal done. At the very least, extend a qualifying offer to Robertson. If Robertson accepts it, great. If he rejects it and gets a boatload of money elsewhere at least you get a pick in return. Closers don’t grow on trees. A closer who can, at least, capably replace Mariano is even harder to find. Re-signing Robertson should be the first priority this offseason.

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