Yankees: Who would you rather resign; Zach Britton or David Robertson?

The Yankees bullpen was once again dominant in 2018 but this offseason they could lose two of their most important relievers.

David Robertson and Zach Britton are both free agents and should be in line for big paydays this winter. Especially if they both desire to be closers next season instead of returning as setup men for the Yankees.

It’s unlikely that the Yanks will bring back both players because the cost will be too much. It also doesn’t make a lot of sense for ownership to spend big money on improving the bullpen when upgrading the rotation should be the priority. With that being said it begs the question to ask which one of these two former All-Stars should the Yankees resign?

The main thing for the Yankees front office to consider when deciding who to bring back is price and between the two it’s likely that Britton will receive the bigger offers from opposing teams. Despite coming off a pair of injury-plagued seasons Britton really finished strong as a member of the Yankees in 2018 and he’s still only 30 years old (31 on Dec. 22).

Britton in 2018: 41 G, 2-0, 40.2 IP, 34 K’s, 1.23 WHIP, 7 SV

Robertson in 2018: 69 G, 8-3, 69.2 IP, 91 K’s, 1.03 WHIP, 5 SV

Robertson, on the other hand, will turn 34 next April so this could be the final chance he has to cash in on a big money deal in his career. Both players will probably do very well on their next contract in terms of annual salary but it’s likely that Britton will get an extra year or two offered his way compared to D-Rob.

Britton said near the end of the season that he’d love to return to New York, but if being a closer again is really important to him he’s going to get a huge deal. Based on how the elite closers have been paid in free agency in recent years it wouldn’t surprise me to see Britton get multiple four years offers for around $15 million a season.

D-Rob will probably get offers of no more than three years in terms of length. The previous deal he signed to be the White Sox closer back in 2014 was four years, $46 million, so the most I could see him signing for this offseason is about three years for $33 million.

Again, these are just my projections based off of how relievers have been paid in the past, but if they hold true I just don’t see how the Yankees could possibly pull off bringing Britton back. Now that he’s back to being 100% healthy I truly believe he’s the best reliever on the market. Even better than Craig Kimbrel. Let’s not forget Britton was of the most dominant closers the game has ever seen from 2014-2016 so there are going to be teams in need of a closer who offer him a huge deal and bank on him returning to his pre-injury form.

The verdict

Robertson himself is still one of the most consistent relievers in baseball, and because he’d be the cheaper option he’s the guy the Yankees should bring back. Yes, there’s a chance his stuff and overall effectiveness might take a hit in the coming years, but the Yankees wouldn’t be asking him to close out games for them on a regular basis. That’s the job of Aroldis Chapman so D-Rob would fill the same high leverage setup role he has for the majority of his career in pinstripes.

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One of the things myself and Yankee fans love most about Robertson is his team-first attitude and willingness to pitch in any role. In a Yankees bullpen filled with All-Stars and power arms who could probably close for most teams, Robertson doesn’t care if he’s pitching in the fifth inning or the ninth inning. Winning matters most to him and this Yankee team is in a great position to win big next year and he knows that.

I’m sure he wants to get paid as well, but finishing the latter part of his career in pinstripes and winning another championship (or two) is probably very important to him. That could mean even if the Yanks don’t offer him a three or four-year deal he could still return as long as the annual salary on his contract puts him among the best in the game for a reliever.

At least I hope that’s the case because I believe the Yankees need to resign either Britton or Robertson to put themselves in a position to contend for a championship next season. Because even though the bullpen they’d have without them would still be one of the top groups in baseball, it wouldn’t be nearly as dominant during the regular season or as dangerous come next October.

Let’s hope D-Rob decides to finish things off where they started and return to the Bronx in 2019.