Inside The Pinstripes

Could Yankees Reunite With Fan Favorite Reliever in Free Agency?

The New York Yankees could sign a reliever who has over 500 appearances with them in his career this offseason.

Grant Young

Oct 9, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson (30) pitches during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox in game four of the 2018 ALDS playoff baseball series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson (30) pitches during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox in game four of the 2018 ALDS playoff baseball series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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It's no secret that the New York Yankees will need to add relievers to their bullpen this offseason.

This is because Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Hill all became unrestricted free agents. While the Yankees have been linked to some of the league's best free-agent relievers like Phillies hurler Carlos Estévez, they'll also need to sign other bullpen assets that are easier on the wallet.

And one intriguing option is former Yankees reliever David Robertson.

On November 2, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote on X, "As expected RHP David Robertson did not exercise his side of the mutual option in his contract for 2025 and will be a free agent."

Therefore, Robertson turning down the $7 million he would have made with the Texas Rangers in 2025 means that he's officially a free agent after amassing a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched in the 2024 regular season.

The 39-year-old Robertson spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career in the Bronx. He was then traded back to the Yankees in 2017 in a deal that also brought the aforementioned Kahnle to New York, and spent the rest of that 2017 season along with all of 2018 in pinstripes.

In a whopping 501 career appearances with the Yankees, Robertson has a 38-22 record with a 2.75 ERA, 666 strikeouts, and 53 saves.

While he may not be one of baseball's best relievers any longer, the fact that Robertson posted a 3.00 ERA last season shows that there's still a lot left for him to offer.

Robertson would likely be willing to finish his career where it started. And perhaps the Yankees' front office will be willing to oblige.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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