Yankees Rumors: David Robertson wants to be a closer next season

The Yankees are still very much in the mix to re-sign David Robertson but they’re not the only team. Although Robertson would prefer to sign with a team in the Northeast, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have also shown interest. If they were to sign him they would likely give him the opportunity to be their closer.

It’s no surprise that Robertson is highly sought after this offseason considering he’s probably one of the top relievers left on the free agent market along with Craig Kimbrel and Zach Britton. Britton is also still in play to sign back with the Yankees but his price tag would probably be higher than D-Rob’s because he’s two years younger.

However, Robertson is still going to get paid plenty and could make even more with a team who wants him to close next season. The Red Sox, Phillies, and Angels are all teams with an opening at closer currently so if he truly wants the chance to do so again the Yankees may lose out on re-signing him for the second time in five years.

For most teams in baseball Robertson would be their best option to close but as well know the Yankees already have Aroldis Chapman. They signed him to a record five year, $88 million deal prior to the 2017 season and unless he opts out of his deal after the 2019 season he’ll continue to be their go-to guy in the ninth inning moving forward.

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Robertson has spent 8.5 of his 11 big league seasons pitching in New York so you know he’d probably love to come back and compete for what would be his second championship. Although if he goes to the team that offers him the most money or a team where he can close again there’s a good chance the Yankees could lose him which would be a big blow to their pen.

Robertson has been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball over the past decade so if he leaves the Yanks they better replace him with someone good. Especially if they can’t resign Britton as well. Adam Ottavino is another name the Yanks have been linked to and in 2018 he was one of the better setup men in baseball. However, he doesn’t have the track record of D-Rob and hasn’t been as consistent over the years

With Robertson and Britton you pretty much know they’re going to produce so the Yanks should probably do whatever it takes to bring back one of them. As much as they improved their starting rotation so far this offseason the biggest strength of them is still the bullpen.

Don’t get me wrong a bullpen led by Chapman, Betances, Green, and Holder would still be great, but if this team wants to go to a World Series next season they’ll need more to get there.