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The 2009 New York Yankees’ final player is vying for a second ring. Relief pitcher David Robertson agreed to a one-year contract worth between $11 and $12 million with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, according to a report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. There’s still a physical to complete the deal.
The Yankees lost out on a very well-known player as they currently seek to bolster their bullpen. The 38-year-old reliever, who won the 2009 World Series, pitched for the Yankees for nine seasons total over two stints. He was excellent during that time, going 38-22 with a 2.75 ERA, 2.73 FIP, and 154 ERA+ with 53 saves. The World Series triumph, an All-Star season in 2011 as Mariano Rivera’s setup man, and replacing Rivera as closer in 2014 interspersed his first tenure.
After two and a half seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Robertson returned to the Yankees in 2017; this mid-season deal also brought fellow reliever Tommy Kahnle and third baseman Todd Frazier to New York. Robertson was brilliant down the stretch, posting a 5-0 record with a microscopic 1.03 ERA and 51 strikeouts in just 35 innings. He followed that up with a career-high 69.2 innings in 2018 with 91 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA before leaving again in free agency. Robertson was plagued by injuries over the next three years, but returned to form in 2022 and 2023; he had productive stints with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, respectively. Both of these performances led to him being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins in 2022 and 2023, respectively; although he struggled with the Marlins, he made another appearance in the World Series with the Phillies. Now, he joins the defending World Series champion Rangers, who are looking to shore up a bullpen that is considered to be their primary weakness.
Only “D-Rob” and fellow (who, unlike Robertson, was not on the postseason or World Series rosters) are currently active players who have played for the 2009 Yankees.
Now that a fan favorite has been removed from the team, the Yankees will need to find new bullpen depth elsewhere.
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