The New York Yankees are still looking at cheap bullpen options to complete their roster for the 2021 season. During the offseason, they lost Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, and Jonathan Holder, and have only added Darren O’Day so far. Yes, they have some talented arms looking for an opportunity to establish themselves as relievers, but they could also use one more veteran, reliable name.
The Yankees, however, only have about $10 million to spend before hitting the luxury tax threshold, one that they have been avoiding like the plague during the offseason. It’s clear that they won’t surpass those $210 million in payroll, so any reliever that comes in the next few days or weeks would be cheap.
Robertson has spent the majority of his career with the New York Yankees. He had Tommy John surgery in August of 2019 and didn’t pitch at all in 2020 because he experienced a setback last summer.
Right now, though, he healthy and he proved just that on Thursday, after he threw in front of scouts of several teams, including the Yankees.
D-Rob looked good with the Yankees in attendance
The workout was at the University of Alabama. According to MLB.com’s Jon Heyman, Robertson touched 91 mph with is four-seam fastball and showed his patented curveball.
NBC Edge speculates that Robertson is looking at an incentive-laden deal, but if he’s something remotely close to what he was pre-injury, he could be a fixture in any big league bullpen, and that includes the Yankees.
When he is healthy, Robertson sits in the low-90s, usually in the 93 mph range. That means he is currently not too far removed from his best velocity, and with spring training getting closer every day, he has the potential to improve in the radar gun.
The Yankees would be smart to pounce on a one-year, incentive laden contract, or one with an option for the 2022 season.