Phils Sign David Robertson

[zambonir]

Yeah they aren't getting Britton. Robertson is a late-inning guy and he also gets lefties out. As it is Arano might not be on the Opening Day roster (but there will be injuries of course). Still hard to imagine Nicasio, Hunter and Neshek all sticking too (especially if Neris is also out of options). I'd agree Morgan is probably gone. Of course they could throw one or more of these guys into another deal too, depending how the IF/OF/SP situation plays out.

[andyb]

It does look like Neris is out of options. He was optioned back to LHV in 2014 after a 1-inning outing and clearly used options in 2015 and 2018. Neris would be an interesting candidate to trade since we can definitely get something for a closer with some track record even if it is uneven. Would we really trade our closer though? Even a second tier closer when they have a modest salary?

[saycheese]

Robertson is a good relief pitcher. He has good splits against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. The bullpen is pretty crowded right now. I wonder if a younger player like Rios, Arano etc could be part of a larger deal to get a starting pitcher.

[bkeich]

Robertson apparently acted as his own agent and negotiated the contract himself. I would say he did pretty well for himself, maybe some other players should call to see if he would act as a discounted agent

[Austinfan]

David Robertson

He's our LHP:

We have splits going back to 2002 on FanGraphs. I looked at every pitcher who, since 2002, has faced at least 1,000 lefties. Robertson has allowed the fourth-lowest wOBA to lefties (.243), out of 387 guys. Looking at the same but just among right-handed pitchers, Robertson ranks third out of 328. Robertson actually has a strong reverse split.

David Robertson Is the Phillies’ New Right-Handed Lefty Reliever | FanGraphs...

I think Neshak is history, and they may listen to offers for Neris, the bullpen is getting pretty crowded.
But Hunter only has one year left, so this is a smooth transition to younger RPs the next couple years.

[zambonir]

Well I wouldn't call Neris "our closer." But yes, I agree, his value, due to having closer experience (and a lower salary) is probably higher than Neshek, Hunter or Nicasio.

The word is Robertson will pitch wherever leverage dictates, Neris and SD will see their share of 9th innings too I'm sure. Maybe Hunter as well (let's not forget how good Hunter was in 2017 and also that he wound up being pretty good last year, all told).

I think they are most down on Neshek because he is not that durable (either in terms of length or consecutive days) and has previously expressed a preference for being used predictably.

Robertson is not going to be a LOOGY but he's definitely the guy who will be pitching to Freeman or Soto (or, hmmh, Bryce Harper) if it's the 7th inning or later. The trick is to not let those guys come up again in the 9th if they're up in the 7th.

[andyb]

The trick is to not let those guys come up again in the 9th if they're up in the 7th.

And Seranthony had giant splits in 2018. 374/630 OPS. He really had a tough time putting left-handed bats away in the second part of the season though remained largely unhittable against right-handed bats most of the season. He could definitely use a better changeup to help against LHP. He just may not have had enough minor league innings (especially as a starter) to develop one.

[BostonRoss]

I freely admit I had to look him up to find out if he was a LF or pitcher...

I thought he was the manager of the Dodgers.

[Philsmania]

Perusing the comment section of MLBTR, a lot of Yankee fans are disappointed their team did not resign him.

[LoneStarPhan]

Robertson has had good success pitching for the Yankees so he should have no problem with Philadelphia.

[bkox]

Jayson Stark (jaysonst)

[Patchmk88]

Watching him the past few years he is straight filthy. Glad we spent on him instead of spending crazy amounts on Kimbrel.

[frylock]

Thrilled with Robertson. Didn't want to spend a ton on Kimbrel (assuming they still don't) and didn't want Britton.

[nycphils]

The Zach Britton contract makes the Robertson deal look fine for the Phillies - Britton is receiving $13m guaranteed for ‘19/‘20 as well as for ‘21, but he can opt out of the ‘21 deal if the Yanks don’t guarantee $14m for ‘22 by the end of ‘20. AAV of $13m.

Contrast that with Robertson at $10m for ‘19, $11m for ‘20 and either $12m for ‘21 or a $2m buyout. AAV of $11.5m.