New York Mets Should Reunite with David Robertson to Take More Pressure Off Rotation

The New York Mets should look to bolster their bullpen farther with veteran David Robertson to take more pressure off of the weak rotation.

Jul 18, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher David Robertson (30) follows through on a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have made strides to improve their roster this season, with the additions of Juan Soto for the lineup and Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes for the rotation. The lineup is now a deeper unit than it was in 2024 and one that can stand up with most other teams in the coming season.

Even with the additions of Montas and Holmes, plus re-signing Sean Manaea, the Mets still do not have a true front-line pitcher for their rotation. An argument can be made for Kodai Senga in that role, but injuries limited Senga to only 5.1 regular season innings in 2024, so it is unlikely that he will reach an ace's workload in 2025.

With the additions of A.J. Minter and Griffin Canning to the bullpen, the trend of teams loading up on bullpen arms to counteract their weak rotation looks to have extended to New York. The Los Angeles Dodgers utilized the strategy in 2024 to great success, and have doubled down on it this offseason as their rotation becomes even more injury-prone with Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani set to join the unit.

The Mets' bullpen is not quite on the level of the Dodgers' as things currently stand, but it could be many steps closer if the club reunited with veteran free-agent reliever David Robertson.

Robertson is entering his age-40 campaign, and his 17th in Major League Baseball. While the veteran has spent time as a member of eight different teams throughout his career, one of his best stretches came in Queens in the first half of 2023.

In 44 innings across 40 games, Robertson posted a 2.05 ERA with 48 strikeouts and a 205 ERA+. That ERA+ would have ranked as the third-best of his career had he held it over a full season. New York traded Robertson to the Miami Marlins at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, however, and the veteran struggled down the stretch to a 5.06 ERA across 21.1 innings and a 94 ERA+, finishing the year with a 145 in that metric.

The veteran showed in 2024 that he is still capable of being dominant across a full season, pitching to a 3.00 ERA across 72 innings in 68 games with 99 strikeouts and a 132 ERA+ for the Texas Rangers. Those 72 innings set a new career high for Robertson, breaking the old mark of 69 2/3 he set in 2018 with the New York Yankees.

Robertson is still capable of being a dominant reliever, and he would not have to be used in too many high-leverage situations with the Mets. With Edwin Diaz firmly cemented as closer, as well as Minter, Jose Butto, Reed Garrett, and Ryne Stanek on the roster, Robertson could serve as one of the best middle relievers in the sport on an A+ bullpen.

At this point in the offseason, Robertson would not break the bank, either. While Spotrac has the veteran's market value at $7.1 million, it is far more likely that he can be signed to a sub-$5 million deal with pitchers and catchers already starting to report.

Adding more firepower to the bullpen to cover up a weak starting rotation is now a tried and true method for success in MLB. If New York wants to go that route, as their transactions this offseason have indicated, they should go all-in and reunite with David Robertson.