If there is such a thing as a no-brainer signing, David Robertson might fall into that category for the Mets.
A still dependable reliever who has pitched for a World Series winning team with the Yankees and handled all that comes with performing in the New York spotlight, Robertson fit the criteria of what the Mets were seeking this offseason.
And as the 37-year-old Robertson noted Wednesday on an introductory Zoom call, the Mets seem like exactly what he needed.
“They want to win,” Robertson said. “I want to win. I am not getting any younger. I want to be on a team that wants to win, I want to be in a competitive city in a good market and that is what the New York Mets have to offer.”
Robertson received a one-year contract worth $10 million that placed him in a primary setup role for Edwin Diaz. But the veteran right-hander also has closing experience and can be used in that role on days Diaz is unavailable.
Last season Robertson got to the World Series with the Phillies after arriving from the Cubs at the trade deadline. Overall, he pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 58 appearances for the two teams. Among the intriguing numbers were Robertson’s strikeout rate of 30.7 percent, which ranked in MLB’s 90th percentile, according to Statcast. Also, Robertson’s fastball spin rate ranked in the 99th percentile.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Robertson, who pitched with the Yankees from 2008-14 — much of that time in a setup role for Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera.
“Every game we play in New York, whether it’s at home or on the road, we have got a huge fan base, so you get used to playing in those big atmospheres,” Robertson said. “So when the postseason came around it seemed like it was the same thing happening again and it was for me, just go do your job.
“I have never really been a guy that cares when I pitch. I want to win. Sometimes there is somebody better suited to be at the back end than me and that’s fine with me. It doesn’t bother me one bit. I have just got to get the ball to that guy, because that is what he is there for.”
The Mets also introduced left-hander Brooks Raley, whom they acquired last week in a trade with the Rays. It has left the team with a developing bullpen nucleus, but general manager Billy Eppler likely isn’t finished adding in that area.
Available arms on the free-agent market include Adam Ottavino, Michael Fulmer, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel. The Mets — as noted by Eppler — last month acquired Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham in a trade with the Marlins and have a healthy John Curtiss after signing the right-hander last March as he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
“There’s still some talented players out there in the marketplace — I will stay engaged there,” Eppler said. “I am feeling good about the group and how it looks as a whole, but if there are things that present themselves that we really think help us on the run-prevention side we have to be open to it.”
Raley said he considered the Mets last offseason as a free agent, but at the time the team still hadn’t hired a manager and was coming off a losing season. Now the Mets have Buck Showalter in the manager’s seat and are coming off 101 victories in the regular season.
“As a whole I think the Mets are definitely a place, a destination,” Raley said. “I think a lot of guys have taken notice.”
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