Anthony Franco | MLB Trade Rumors

Twins, Matt Bowman Agree To Minor League Contract

By Anthony Franco | February 2, 2026 at 11:34pm CDT

The Twins brought reliever Matt Bowman back to the organization on a minor league contract, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The ZS Sports client will presumably be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

This will be Bowman’s third stint with Minnesota. He signed a minor league deal over the 2023-24 offseason and made the team by the middle of April. He made five appearances before being designated for assignment and traded to the Diamondbacks. Bowman bounced around throughout the ’24 season and circled back to Minnesota on another minor league contract in July. He triggered an opt-out six weeks later and spent the following year with the Orioles and Astros.

The 34-year-old righty made 20 big league appearances for the Orioles last season. He struggled to a 6.20 ERA with a 15.8% strikeout rate over 24 2/3 innings. Although Bowman has never missed many bats, he has traditionally gotten a lot of ground-balls. That wasn’t the case last season, as he had a career-low 35% grounder rate.

Bowman had a better season in Triple-A, where he combined for a 3.93 ERA in 31 appearances. The grounders were still down but he punched out a league average 22.7% of batters faced. Bowman has pitched parts of seven seasons at the top minor league level, turning in a 4.14 ERA in nearly 400 innings.

The Twins sold off essentially all their high-leverage arms at last year’s deadline. They signed old friend Taylor Rogers to a $2MM free agent deal and traded for Eric Orze in a minor swap with the Rays. Rogers might step back into a closer role for which he’s probably miscast at this point of his career. Cole Sands, Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk are ticketed for leverage work. On paper, it’s one of the weakest bullpens in MLB. That affords a good opportunity for non-roster invitees trying to earn a middle relief job. Dan Altavilla and Grant Hartwig have also signed minor league deals this offseason.

Rockies, Valente Bellozo Agree To Minor League Contract

By Anthony Franco | February 2, 2026 at 9:51pm CDT

The Rockies are in agreement with right-hander Valente Bellozo on a minor league deal, reports Francys Romero. The Wasserman client will presumably get a look in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Bellozo has spent the past two seasons with the Marlins. The Fish acquired him from the Astros in an early-season swap for infielder Jacob Amaya in 2024. Bellozo earned a big league look a few months later and made 13 starts as a rookie. He turned in a 3.67 earned run average despite a 15% strikeout rate and significant home run issues. He made five starts early last season before moving to the bullpen, where he usually worked multiple innings in low-leverage spots.

The 26-year-old Bellozo managed decent results up through the All-Star Break. His peripherals caught up with him in the second half, as he allowed a 6.46 ERA on 10 home runs over his final 30 2/3 innings. He finished the year with 4.65 earned runs per nine over 81 1/3 frames. He struck out 15.5% of opponents against a 6.6% walk rate.

Bellozo has plus control but sits around 90 MPH with his four-seamer. He leaned more frequently on a mid-80s cutter while mixing in a sweeper and changeup. He’s a fly-ball pitcher with below-average stuff. That’s a difficult approach to make work at Coors Field, but there’s plenty of opportunity to pitch his way back to the majors. He could even claim an Opening Day rotation spot with a strong camp.

Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen and Chase Dollander are the only three pitchers who seem assured of season-opening rotation spots. Ryan Feltner, Gabriel Hughes, Tanner Gordon, McCade Brown and recent trade pickup Pierson Ohl are on the 40-man roster and would have two rotation spots up for grabs among them. Bellozo could work into that mix or join Antonio Senzatela in long relief if he wins a job.

Rays Designate Ken Waldichuk For Assignment

By Anthony Franco | February 2, 2026 at 8:43pm CDT

The Rays announced they’ve designated left-hander Ken Waldichuk for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man roster move for infielder Ben Williamson, acquired from Seattle in tonight’s three-team trade that sent All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Mariners.

Tampa Bay picked up Waldichuk in a DFA trade with Atlanta a few weeks ago. They’re his third organization of the offseason. The Braves had claimed him off waivers from the A’s, who had themselves designated him for assignment after trading for Jeff McNeil. The 28-year-old finds himself in DFA limbo for the third time since December.

A fifth-round pick of the Yankees in 2019, Waldichuk developed into a quality pitching prospect. The A’s acquired him at the ’22 deadline in the Frankie Montas trade. That was one of the more significant trades that summer but didn’t work all that well for either team. Montas struggled before undergoing shoulder surgery and wound up pitching nine times with a 6.15 ERA in pinstripes. The A’s end of the deal has panned out only slightly better. Waldichuk and Luis Medina have pitched poorly and battled injuries. JP Sears turned out to be the best piece of the return as a durable fifth starter who was traded to the Padres last summer as a secondary part of the Mason Miller deal.

Waldichuk started 25 of 31 MLB appearances between 2022-23. He gave up a 5.35 ERA with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk numbers. He hasn’t thrown a major league pitch in two years, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in May ’24 that kept him out until last July. Waldichuk spent the second half of the season in Triple-A, where he was tagged for 52 runs in 51 innings in a brutal environment for pitchers. A fastball that sat around 94 miles per hour in his rookie year was down to 91.6 MPH last year in the minors.

Atlanta and Tampa Bay nevertheless took fliers on Waldichuk to see if he’ll recapture some of his early-career promise as he gets further removed from injury. He still has a pair of minor league options and is signed for barely more than the league minimum after agreeing to an $825K contract in November. Waldichuk is under arbitration control for at least four seasons.

Red Sox, Vinny Nittoli Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | February 2, 2026 at 7:39pm CDT

The Red Sox have a minor league deal with reliever Vinny Nittoli, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. The Gaeta Sports Management client receives a non-roster invitation to MLB Spring Training.

Nittoli is now on the 12th organization of a decade-long professional career. The 35-year-old righty has gotten to the major league level with five of those clubs. His career high in MLB appearances with one team is seven, as he threw eight innings for the Athletics in 2024. Nittoli has had cups of coffee with the Mariners, Phillies, Mets and Orioles as well. He has logged 18 2/3 major league innings, striking out 13 against five walks while allowing five runs.

A former 25th round pick, Nittoli has spent six seasons at the Triple-A level. He owns a 4.76 earned run average in 223 innings despite a strong 28.3% strikeout rate. Nittoli combined for a 4.58 ERA with a 26% strikeout percentage and 8% walk rate between Baltimore’s and Milwaukee’s top affiliates last year. He worked primarily with a cutter that averaged 89 MPH while mixing in a low-90s sinker and low-80s curveball.

Nittoli is out of options, so he’d need to stick on the MLB roster or be exposed to waivers if the Red Sox call him up. He joins Seth Martinez, Hobie Harris, Devin Sweet and Tayron Guerrero as non-roster invites who have MLB experience.

Avisail Garcia Announces Retirement

By Anthony Franco | February 2, 2026 at 5:43pm CDT

Avisail Garcia announced his retirement on Monday afternoon. That concludes a career which spanned parts of 13 MLB seasons and included an All-Star appearance in 2017.

“Today I formally announce the end of my career in Major League Baseball after 12 seasons of dedication and hard work. Thank you to God for the blessing of fulfilling my childhood dream—of playing baseball at its highest level,” the 34-year-old outfielder wrote on social media. He goes on to thank his family, representation at Mato Sports Management, and former teammates and coaches.

Garcia began his career with the Tigers. An under-the-radar signee out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old, he developed into one of the better offensive prospects in the game by the time he reached the big leagues in 2012. Comparisons to teammate and Hall of Fame countryman Miguel Cabrera were always ill-advised, but the 6’4″ Garcia had the physique and power potential to fit in the middle of a lineup.

Although Garcia made a brief MLB debut and factored into a 2012 pennant run in Detroit, he didn’t get a regular look until he was traded to White Sox the following year. He was the headliner for Chicago in the three-team trade that sent Jake Peavy to the Red Sox. Detroit picked up Jose Iglesias from Boston on their end. Garcia took over as Chicago’s everyday right fielder, a job he would hold for most of the next five seasons.

Garcia lost most of the ’14 season to a labrum injury. He kicked off a run of five consecutive double digit homer seasons the following year. The aforementioned All-Star campaign was the best of his career, as Garcia batted .330/.380/.506 with 18 longballs across 561 plate appearances. Only Jose Altuve’s MVP season stood in his way of winning the AL batting title.

That was the lone above-average season of Garcia’s tenure with the Sox. He otherwise hit between .236 and .257 with an on-base percentage between .281 and .309 over his full seasons there. Garcia’s free-swinging approach would be an issue throughout his career, though it didn’t stop him from turning in two solid years after the White Sox non-tendered him at the end of the 2018 season.

One of those came with the Rays, who signed Garcia to a $3.5MM contract after the Sox cut him. He managed a 20-homer campaign while batting .282/.332/.464 in the regular season. The Rays secured a Wild Card berth, and Garcia hit .300 with a homer in five playoff games in his first October action since his rookie year. He returned to free agency in a much better position that offseason, leading to a two-year deal with Milwaukee that guaranteed $20MM.

Garcia’s first year with the Brewers was a disappointment, as he hit .238 with only two homers during the shortened season. He made up for it by popping a career-best 29 longballs a year later, slashing .262/.330/.490 and driving in 86 runs. He helped Milwaukee to a 95-win campaign and an NL Central title. Garcia hit the market at age 31. The Marlins bought into his power production and strong batted ball metrics and signed him to a four-year, $53MM deal.

That was a strong deal for the player but a big misfire for the team. Garcia’s production immediately tanked and he’d only play out a little more than half the contract. He hit .217/.260/.322 with 13 homers in 549 plate appearances in a Miami uniform. The Marlins released him in June 2024. Garcia underwent postseason surgery to address a fracture and a disc injury in his lower back. That sidelined him for the entire ’25 campaign and ultimately ended his career. He would have been limited to minor league offers even if he came back fully healthy, so it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that he decided to move on to his post-playing days.

Garcia played in a little over 1100 big league games divided among five clubs. He topped 1000 hits and 500 RBI while connecting on 140 home runs. He was a lifetime .263/.316/.417 hitter. While it came with plenty of peaks and valleys, that amounts to league average offense overall. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference credited him around 8-9 wins above replacement, with both outlets valuing his 2017 season above 4 WAR. According to Baseball Reference, he earned more than $84MM and logged more than 11 years of major league service time. MLBTR congratulates Garcia on his career and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of Imagn Images.

Giants Notes: Lee, Matos, Rotation, Closer

By Anthony Franco | January 30, 2026 at 11:51pm CDT

The Giants officially announced their two-year deal with Harrison Bader on Friday afternoon. President of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian conducted a conference call with the beat to introduce their new outfielder.

Posey confirmed that Bader will be the everyday center fielder, a move that pushes Jung Hoo Lee into right field on most days (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). It doesn’t appear the incumbent center fielder had any issue with the change. “Jung Hoo was great,” Posey said of his reaction to the signing. “Also there’s an understanding on our end and to Jung Hoo that there’s a chance that he could still be getting reps in center field. But our plan is to have Bader playing center field.”

Lee had a decent amount of right field experience in Korea. He has played exclusively up the middle over his two seasons in the majors. Lee’s physical tools are strong. He’s an above-average runner with plus arm strength. His first step and routes weren’t as polished, and defensive metrics weren’t fond of his overall work. Statcast graded him five runs below average, while Defensive Runs Saved had him a glaring 18 runs worse than an average center fielder. No player had a worse DRS mark at the position.

The 27-year-old should grade more favorably in his new position. He’s a much better athlete than most corner outfielders. There’ll still be plenty of ground to cover in home games thanks to Oracle Park’s massive right-center gap. The move to a corner will put a little more pressure on the bat. Lee is coming off a solid but unspectacular .266/.327/.407 slash across 617 plate appearances. That’s much better than the .241/.303/.395 league mark for center fielders but lands more middle-of-the-pack in right, where the average player batted .247/.319/.422 last year.

Right field was the biggest weak point in the San Francisco lineup. After they traded Mike Yastrzemski at the deadline, their right fielders hit .202/.249/.376 across 194 plate appearances. Drew Gilbert projects as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Luis Matos was a well-regarded prospect but hasn’t found much success on either side of the ball over three MLB seasons. Matos is out of minor league options and will be a player to watch in camp, as he’ll either need to win a bench job or be taken off the 40-man roster.

Pushing Lee to right field leaves second base as the last potential position of need. The Giants have looked for upgrades over Casey Schmitt, with reports tying them to various trade targets (e.g. Brendan Donovan, Nico Hoerner, CJ Abrams). Posey declined to go into specifics in response to a question about trading for a second baseman, but that appears to be a bigger priority than further augmenting the rotation. The Giants stayed away from the top of the market, instead signing back-end arms Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser to short-term deals.

Even as Framber Valdez remains unsigned, Posey downplayed the desire to add another starter. “We’re happy with our rotation right now, with some of the adjustments that Houser made last year, and we feel like Mahle is in a good place physically,” he said (relayed by John Shea of The San Francisco Standard). “You’re never going to close doors, but we feel good with the group that we have.”

They’ve taken a similar approach to the bullpen despite losing key contributors Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers and Randy Rodríguez (the latter to Tommy John surgery) from last season. They’ve taken one-year fliers on Sam Hentges and Jason Foley, both of whom are returning from shoulder surgeries. There’ll be plenty of high-leverage innings available as first-year manager Tony Vitello evaluates the group. That extends to the closer role. Ryan Walker has the most ninth-inning experience of their relievers but is coming off an uneven year.

Walker tells Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that he’s hoping to win the job, though it seems like it’ll be an open competition in Spring Training. “As we sit here today, I think we’re hoping that Ryan Walker can get back to his 2024 form. But without discussing it with Tony in depth, I guess the way that I would see it now is that we’ll see who steps up,” Posey told reporters (including Slusser). “We’re not coming into this season necessarily with one guy that we say, ‘You are going to be the closer.’ There’s a chance that somebody takes the reins and does slot in to that closer role as we get into the season, but right now I wouldn’t say that there’s one person that we’re targeting for the ninth inning.”

Hall: D-Backs Continuing To Pursue First Base, Pitching Help

By Anthony Franco | January 30, 2026 at 10:32pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have spent the offseason pursuing pitching while looking for a right-handed hitting first baseman to pair with Pavin Smith. Those remain targets as Spring Training approaches, team president Derrick Hall reiterated this morning.

“There’s enough opportunity out there that we can still see a move or two that can impact our team,” Hall said at a charity golf event on Friday (links via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com and Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic). The team president added the front office is “still trying to find another complementary first baseman, and I think we can still look to improve our pitching, both starting and relievers, but we still have some moves to make. We’re not done.”

None of that comes as a surprise since it aligns with reporting about the team’s plans over the winter, yet it’s notable that a high-ranking executive went on record to predict another acquisition. It seems they’re looking more at supplementary pickups, at least via free agency. General manager Mike Hazen said last week that the team didn’t have the budget space to spend on established high-leverage relievers on the open market. “We still have some room,” Hall said today of the club’s financial picture. “But for a big splash, we’re probably going to have to get creative, or look to move money if we’re going to do something really big.”

Although there aren’t many marquee players available as February nears, Zac Gallen remains unsigned. He rejected a qualifying offer in November and is one of two unsigned qualified free agents, along with Framber Valdez. There’s been some chatter that the Diamondbacks could circle back with Gallen, but that hasn’t seemed all that likely since the club brought Merrill Kelly back on a two-year deal that pays $20MM annually. Even if he settles for a two-year contract with an opt-out, Gallen would probably take them beyond their comfort zone unless owner Ken Kendrick makes an exception for a pitcher with whom he’s familiar.

Hall loosely alluded to the possibility of shedding money on the trade market, but there aren’t many clear ways to do that without subtracting key players from the roster. They cut off Ketel Marte talks and wouldn’t consider trading Corbin Carroll or Geraldo Perdomo. They’re one season into a five-year extension for Brandon Pfaadt. He’s only making $3MM this year, and the rotation is thin enough that they wouldn’t be inclined to sell low on him either way.

They’re not shedding the Corbin Burnes contract midway through rehab from Tommy John surgery. Teams aren’t going to take on any significant portion of the Eduardo Rodriguez or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. deals. No one in their arbitration class is making even $4MM. Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel or Alek Thomas are all coming off down years but play positions of need and wouldn’t move the needle much from a salary perspective.

Hazen suggested last week that they could turn to the trade market for relief help, though the biggest factor will be the injury recoveries for A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. It’d be easier to find the short side platoon first baseman for cheap via free agency. A reunion with Paul Goldschmidt has made sense all winter. Rhys Hoskins, Wilmer Flores, Ty France, Carlos Santana and Justin Turner are also unsigned.

Dodgers Rotation Notes: Snell, Yamamoto, Sasaki

By Anthony Franco | January 30, 2026 at 9:15pm CDT

The Dodgers have made free agent moves in the lineup (Kyle Tucker) and bullpen (Edwin Díaz) to further load up the sport’s best roster. They’ve mostly sat out the rotation, confident in their internal arms.

L.A.’s pitching staff has carried heavy workloads on their runs to consecutive World Series. Jack Harris of The California Post writes that the club plans to keep a close eye on their veteran arms early in the season. That’s particularly true of Blake Snell, who tells Harris that he delayed his offseason throwing program after feeling “exhausted” at the end of the Fall Classic. The two-time Cy Young winner added that while he’s hopeful of being ready for Opening Day, that’s not a guarantee since the team is more focused on making sure he doesn’t put too much stress on his arm in camp.

Snell is among the three to five most talented pitchers in MLB. He’s dominant when healthy but availability has never been his strong suit. Snell has a pair of 180-inning campaigns but hasn’t reached even 130 frames in any of his other seven full seasons. Last year, he missed more than three months between April and the beginning of August with a shoulder issue. He was limited to 11 starts and 61 1/3 innings during the regular season.

He was around when it mattered most, logging 34 innings of 3.18 ERA ball during the World Series run. Snell started one game apiece in the Wild Card Series, Division Series and Championship Series. He worked at least six innings in each, including eight frames of shutout ball with 10 strikeouts in the first game of the NLCS, then came back for two more starts in the World Series.

Snell went five innings in Game 1 and logged 6 2/3 frames in Game 5. He gave up five runs and took the loss in both, but he came back on two days rest for his most important outing of the season. Snell logged an inning and a third out of the bullpen in Game 7, keeping a 4-3 deficit at one run to set up Miguel Rojas’ game-tying homer before coming back for the start of the bottom of the ninth.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto nevertheless outshone Snell in the Fall Classic. He deservedly took home Series MVP honors after getting the win in three of L.A.’s four victories. Yamamoto tossed consecutive complete games in Games 2 of the NLCS and World Series. He went six innings in Game 6, then came back on zero rest for 2 2/3 frames and 34 pitches as the decider went into extras. Yamamoto’s arm was so fatigued by the end of that game that he couldn’t lift his MVP trophy above his head without help from teammates.

Yamamoto won’t have the luxury of a slow spring buildup, as he has already signed on to try to help Japan defend their World Baseball Classic title. He’ll need to be ready for competitive game action when the tournament gets underway on March 6. Shohei Ohtani is also on the Japanese roster, though the team hasn’t announced whether he’ll pitch in the tournament.

Roki Sasaki is not expected to play in the WBC. His first major league season was up and down. He only made 10 appearances and logged 36 1/3 MLB innings during the regular season. Sasaki was out between April and September with a shoulder impingement. The Dodgers used him in short relief in the playoffs. Sasaki managed 10 2/3 innings of one-run ball despite walking five while recording only six strikeouts.

The Dodgers have maintained they view Sasaki as a starter going into 2026. Manager Dave Roberts reiterated as much when speaking with The California Post’s Dylan Hernandez this week, albeit with the note that he’d like the talented young righty to better develop his third pitch. Sasaki used his fastball half the time and his trademark splitter on around a third of his offerings last year. He used a low-80s breaking ball at roughly a 16% clip.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman appeared on Dodgers Territory this week and downplayed Sasaki’s need for a third pitch to an extent. “He was able to dominate in NPB with two pitches and frankly, I think he could here as well with being able to execute at a higher level,” Friedman said. “Last year, his delivery was out of whack, velocity was down a little bit. So it’s either adding that third pitch or elevating the pitch-making ability.”

Sasaki’s fastball was in the upper-90s and routinely touched triple digits in Japan. He averaged a solid but more pedestrian 96.1 MPH during his rookie season in the majors. Better health will hopefully lead to an uptick in stuff in year two. Sasaki projects as the fifth or sixth starter in a rotation that would likely also comprise Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan if everyone is available on Opening Day. River Ryan, Gavin Stone and Kyle Hurt should all be back from surgeries that cost them the ’25 season and are talented depth arms on the 40-man roster.

Phillies, Dylan Moore Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | January 30, 2026 at 6:59pm CDT

The Phillies reached agreement with utilityman Dylan Moore on a minor league contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Klutch Sports client receives a non-roster invitation to MLB camp.

Moore is a veteran of seven big league seasons. He’d spent his entire MLB career with the Mariners until they released him last August. Moore signed a minor league deal with the Rangers and was quickly called up after Corey Seager needed an appendectomy. Moore spent the final month of the season on the MLB roster and appeared in 18 games as a Ranger.

That was a homecoming for the Central Florida product, who began his professional career as a seventh-round pick by the Rangers in 2015. Texas traded him to the Braves before he made it out of A-ball. Moore bounced around the minors before establishing himself in Seattle upon signing there as a minor league free agent.

A right-handed hitter, Moore has done the majority of his damage against left-handed pitching in his career. A .216 batting average against southpaws isn’t going to turn many heads, but he has walked at a 12% rate and has 28 homers in 819 career plate appearances with the platoon advantage. Moore didn’t produce against pitchers of either handedness last season, yet he was a decent role player for the majority of his time in the Pacific Northwest.

His offensive approach skews heavily toward the three true outcomes, particularly strikeouts and walks. Moore has a trio of double digit home run seasons and has stolen at least 11 bases in all but one year of his career. He’s not a burner but has generally done well to take extra bases when opportunities present themselves.

Moore will vie for a multi-positional role off Rob Thomson’s bench. He has experience everywhere on the diamond except catcher. He shouldn’t play much shortstop or center field but rates as a solid or better defender anywhere else. Edmundo Sosa will be the top utility infielder, while Otto Kemp has a similar defensive skillset to Moore and also hits right-handed. Depth outfielders Johan Rojas and Pedro León, plus non-roster invitee Bryan De La Cruz, also bat from that side. The Phils will have a lot of competition for potential platoon partners for Brandon Marsh and prospect Justin Crawford, who’ll go into camp with a good chance to win the center field job.

David Robertson Announces Retirement

By Anthony Franco | January 30, 2026 at 4:30pm CDT

Veteran reliever David Robertson has decided to hang up his spikes. He announced the decision on his personal social media pages, issuing the following statement:

“I’ve decided it’s time for me to hang up my spikes and retire from the game I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. Baseball has given me more than I ever dreamed possible over the last 19 seasons. From winning a World Series, to pitching in an All-Star game, to representing the United States and bringing home a World Baseball Classic Gold and Olympic silver. I’ve had the privilege of playing alongside amazing teammates, learning from outstanding coaches, and being welcomed into organizations that felt like family. To the trainers, clubhouse staff, front offices, and everyone behind the scenes, thank you for all that you do. And to the fans who supported me, thank you, your passion fueled me every single day.

Most importantly, thank you to my wife and children. Your love, sacrifice, patience, and dedication made this career possible. As I step away from the game, I’m excited to be home with my family, to focus on our farms, and to continue growing High Socks for Hope. Helping families rebuild after disaster has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life outside baseball.

Saying goodbye isn’t easy, but I do so with deep gratitude for every opportunity, challenge, and memory. I’ll forever be thankful for the game and for everyone who made this journey extraordinary.”

Robertson retires after a two-decade run in professional baseball. He signed an overslot deal as a 17th-round pick of the Yankees in 2006. He was in the big leagues two years later. He began his career in middle relief but impressed with a 3.30 earned run average across 45 appearances in his first full season. Robertson added 5 1/3 scoreless innings and earned a pair of wins as the Yankees went on to win the World Series in 2009.

By the following season, the righty was a fixture in the Yankee bullpen in front of Mariano Rivera. He was exceptionally durable and consistently effective. Robertson reeled off a streak of 10 straight sub-4.00 ERA seasons between 2009-18. He surpassed 60 innings in the final nine of those years.

His most accomplished statistical season came in 2011, when he fired 66 2/3 frames with a career-low 1.08 ERA. Robertson picked up 34 holds against three blown leads. He earned his first and, somewhat surprisingly, only All-Star selection while receiving down-ballot Cy Young and MVP votes. He recorded a personal-best 100 strikeouts. He trailed only Craig Kimbrel and Tyler Clippard among relievers in punchouts, while Atlanta’s Eric O’Flaherty was the only pitcher with a lower earned run average.

Robertson remained in a setup role until Rivera ended his Hall of Fame career after the 2013 season. Robertson, an impending free agent, stepped seamlessly into the closer role. He recorded 39 saves with a 3.08 ERA in his walk year. He hit free agency at age 30 and rejected a qualifying offer before landing a four-year, $46MM deal from the White Sox.

He held up his end of the bargain, topping 30 saves in his two full seasons in Chicago. The Sox weren’t good overall, however, and they embarked on a teardown by 2017. They shipped Robertson back to the Bronx alongside Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle. Robertson played out the final season and a half of the contract and helped New York back to the postseason in both years. He was part of the 2017 national team that won the World Baseball Classic, tossing a scoreless inning to close an 8-0 win over Puerto Rico in the final.

A return trip to free agency was never going to be as lucrative as he entered his age-34 season. He signed a two-year, $23MM deal with the Phillies. That was a precursor to the first real setback of his entire career. Robertson’s elbow gave out seven appearances into his first season in Philadelphia. He missed most of the year rehabbing before it was revealed that he needed Tommy John surgery. Robertson lost all of 2020 and most of ’21 before making a comeback with the U.S. National Team at the Tokyo Olympics (which were held in ’21 because of the pandemic).

Robertson carved out an impressive final act after the surgery. He bounced around as a setup man, mostly on contending clubs. Robertson made the playoffs with the Rays in ’21 and returned to the World Series the following year. A $3.5MM free agent deal with the Cubs led to a midseason trade back to Philadelphia, and he wound up tossing 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in October for the pennant winning Phils. Robertson split the ’23 season between the Mets and Marlins — Miami was a deadline buyer who snuck into the playoffs — and remained an excellent leverage arm with the Rangers in 2024. He worked a career-high 72 innings of 3.00 ERA ball with 99 punchouts for Texas in what would be his final full season in the big leagues.

Despite his continued strong performance, Robertson didn’t find the contract he was seeking last offseason. He waited until July before signing a one-year deal for his third stint with the Phillies. Robertson made 20 regular season appearances and one final playoff outing in the Division Series loss to the Dodgers.

Robertson finishes his playing days with a 2.93 ERA in just shy of 900 regular season innings. Only Kenley Jansen has pitched in more games than his 881 going back to his debut. Robertson recorded nearly 1200 strikeouts. He saved 179 games and recorded 206 holds, ranking top 20 in both stats over his career. He had a 2.88 ERA in his first 10-year peak and came back from elbow surgery to add 230 2/3 frames of 3.00 ERA ball with a 31% strikeout rate from ages 36-40.

It’s a remarkable run of consistency at a position that is generally viewed as the sport’s most volatile. Robertson only had four seasons in which he allowed more than four earned runs per nine: his first and last years and the ’19 and ’21 campaigns that were shortened by the one significant injury he incurred. That’s all before considering his postseason résumé — 47 2/3 innings of 3.47 ERA ball in 10 different trips to October.

Robertson spent the majority of his career in the Bronx. He’ll be best remembered as a Yankee but appeared for eight clubs overall. Although he’s not going to get much consideration for induction into Cooperstown, he’s a lock to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot five years from now and could see his name checked by a few voters who want to honor his longevity and reliability. MLBTR congratulates him on an excellent career and sends our best wishes in whatever comes next.

Image courtesy of Thomas Shea, USA Today Sports.

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