Yankees: Rays already seeing results after swiping former NYY reliever is maddening

In recent memory, can someone please tell us a move that hasn’t worked in favor of the Tampa Bay Rays? The only one we can think of is the Jake Cronenworth trade with the San Diego Padres. But that’s literally it.

Well, to be clear…Tampa scared us when the New York Yankees traded Mike Ford to them earlier in the year, but that move didn’t work out after the slugging first baseman was released.

Perhaps Yankees fans can call that a win, but many won’t be happy with the Rays’ latest transaction, which is already paying dividends.

Tampa recently signed former Yanks reliever David Robertson after he pitched for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics. The 36-year-old right-hander missed nearly all of 2019 and 2020 due to elbow surgery, but his performance in Tokyo helped land him a job back in MLB.

Robertson made his first MLB appearance since early 2019 on Sept. 1 with the Rays and was already thrust into a high-leverage situation against the Boston Red Sox. He handled the eighth inning in a tie game, striking out two batters. Clean frame.

In just his sixth game with Tampa, Robertson preserved a two-run lead in the eighth on Tuesday night in a win over the Blue Jays, who have the hottest offense in the league at the moment.

Former Yankees reliever David Robertson helping the Rays is sickening.

While Robertson did get knocked around against the Tigers on Sunday and lost the game for Tampa, he’s allowed just one run across his five other innings on two hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Someone pinch us, please? Actually, just light us on fire. That should wake us up from what we can expect to be a nightmare at some point down the road when Robertson is putting on his best Houdini act to escape a seemingly insurmountable jam against the Yankees in the postseason.

Anyone care to explain why Robertson wasn’t on the Yankees radar despite their desperate need for pitching right now? Somehow the Rays had the foresight to sign him and then immediately use him as their eighth inning guy … while the Yankees are finding innings for Sal Romano?

That signature hop-step coming off the mound … now being shown off in Tampa? Nope. Can’t have it. Simply cannot have another unthinkable narrative piled on to the Yankees’ misfortunes.

What a shame. We can’t even be happy for a former player making an awesome comeback without it potentially affecting the Yankees’ trajectory in some way.

Yup, just wait for the final series of the year when Robertson is tasked with holding a lead or preserving the tie and it comes back to bite us.

Yankees: 4 players the organization ruined in 2021

The New York Yankees are known for ruining players, but even they out-did themselves during this dreadful 2021 season. Depressing.