David Robertson’s contract proves why Yankees chickened out before rest of finalists

The New York Yankees need relief help tomorrow. They needed it yesterday. They needed it a week ago, and they'll need it a week from now. That means that, as sad as it is to think about, a reunion with David Robertson didn't make as much sense as we wished it did ... especially at the price point he commanded after his recent showcase in Rhode Island (for some reason).

Despite the showcase being a Red Sox home game, Dave Dombrowski outfoxed Craig Breslow and signed Robertson, who spurned Boston as a free agent for what feels like the hundredth time. The Yankees, Dodgers and Mets were reportedly in attendance at Robertson's weekend spectacle, where he threw 89-91, but the Red Sox, Tigers, and victorious Phillies were the teams mentioned most emphatically as finalists when the dust settled.

The Yankees? Despite their desperation, they couldn't figure out a way to make it work with Robertson, and their hesitation has a lot of legitimacy to it.

It's important to note that Robertson's exit from the Bronx after the 2018 season was weirdly acrimonious. He led a bizarre charge that resulted in several members of the Yankees' traveling party — like assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere — getting voted half playoff shares instead of full shares. Robertson really didn't want certain people getting paid, and that sour note preceded his imminent departure (ironically, for Philly in 2019, where he swiftly suffered an injury). It seemed bad at the time, and maybe it was permanently tie-severing.

History aside, the fit doesn't make ideal sense in the here-and-now, either. Robertson was paid a fair chunk of change, making the pro-rated portion of a one-year, $16 million deal for the rest of the season (over $6 million). With the Yankees so close to the top luxury tax threshold, they'd rather pay 1/3 of that for a reliever — and they'd need that reliever to start work immediately, something Robertson cannot do.

Though his workout was reportedly impressive, he still requires a ramp-up period before he's able to return to MLB action.

Yankees need bullpen help immediately, and David Robertson is being paid $6+ million not to provide it

The Yankees cannot wait for Robertson to be ready. They need to take action to improve this bullpen (checks watch) several weeks ago in mid-June.

It's a prohibitive price tag, and it doesn't give the Yankees what they so desperately need. Add in the personal friction with the organization, and the Yanks decided against patience and familiarity.