In a bid to improve their bullpen, the Texas Rangers have scoured the free agent market for relief pitchers, with one established veteran already earning a contract from the defending World Series champs.
On Thursday, the Rangers inked veteran option David Robertson to a one-year deal in the $11-12 million range, pending a physical, courtesy of ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Robertson has pitched for seven different clubs across his 15-season MLB career. Most recently, he split the 2023 season between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins, when he notched 18 saves in 24 opportunities between the two teams.
The right-hander has bounced around MLB in recent seasons, never spending more than one year with a club since a two-season stint with the New York Yankees in 2017 and 2018.
Despite his nomadic tendencies as of late, Robertson has generally remained effective. He posted a 173 ERA+ in 2022, a season he split between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He followed that up with a solid 143 ERA+ last season.
Rangers look to build on WS title
Heading into the 2023 season, all eyes were focused on the starting pitching the Rangers boasted.
Big-ticket free agents Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi garnered all the attention as expectations for Texas rose.
deGrom ended up missing most of the season after tearing the UCL in his right elbow. Eovaldi performed admirably all the way through the club's World Series win, starting Games 1 and 5 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
But Young admittedly didn't build the team's bullpen depth to where it needed to be, and it showed as the season hit August and beyond.
Relief pitching is an often volatile commodity, but at least the Rangers have begun to address that weakness. Signing a proven performer such as Robertson seems like a smart play.
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