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The Yankees have avoided arbitration with David Robertson just ahead of today's 1:00 pm deadline, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5.215 million with their presumed closer-to-be. Robertson gets a little more than a million dollars more than he was making over his $3.1 million salary in 2013. The final amount is just under the $5.5 million that MLB Trade Rumorsprojected Robertson would make in arbitration this season.
Robertson is set to become a free agent after this season unless the Yankees are willing to offer him some kind of contract extension this season. Their willingness to do so may depend on how he does when moving from set-up man to closer in the absence of Mariano Rivera. Robertson has been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball over the last few years and has already received endorsement from Hal Steinbrenner as the Yankees' next closer.
In 66.1 innings for the Yankees last season, Robertson pitched to a 2.04 ERA with three saves while striking out 10.45 batters per nine innings, good enough for 1.6 fWAR. D-Rob was able to lower his walks for the second straight season, leading to less heart attack innings for those watching at home or from the stands.
After agreeing to terms with Francisco Cervelli, Shawn Kelley, Brett Gardner, and Robertson in the last 24 hours, the remaining arbitration case unsettled is Ivan Nova.
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