The Mets revisit a trade deadline target they didn't add in David Robertson deal

The New York Mets made yet another key splash in free agency on Thursday as the team is in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract with veteran reliever David Robertson, according to Jeff Passan on ESPN.

Robertson was a trade deadline target for the Mets last year at the trade deadline, but the Cubs wanted a top pitching prospect for him but didn't get it. Ultimately, he was moved from the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies minutes before the deadline on August 2, but now the Mets get a long-awaited target in orange and blue for the 2023 season.

David Robertson now figures to be the new set-up man for Edwin Diaz in the Mets bullpen and establishes a solid top four reliever group.

The Mets desperately needed multiple veteran relief pitchers to offset a lengthy departing class of free agents, and now in addition to adding a reliable lefty reliever in Brooks Raley via trade on Wednesday, they have a reliable eighth inning guy who is coming off a tremendous season between Chicago and Philadelphia.

Robertson also brings a tremendous amount of World Series and playoff experience to the table. He pitched for the 2009 World Series champion Yankees and last year's National League champion Phillies. Over his career, he is 6-0 with a 2.78 ERA over 41 postseason appearances and 45.1 innings, including eight games in the playoffs, in which he gave up just one earned run over 7.2 innings.

In 2022, Robertson finally got back to form after his Tommy John surgery in 2019, as he returned a strong ground ball rate (46.2 percent) and a solid hard hit rate (38.9 percent). In 63.2 innings and 58 games pitched last season, Robertson pitched to a 2.40 ERA with 81 strikeouts, 35 walks, and a 30.7 percent strikeout rate.

The Mets' back end of the bullpen now features Raley, Robertson, Drew Smith, and Edwin Diaz, the game's best relief pitcher, one of the big question marks for the Mets going into this week's Winter Meetings. Now they've addressed that portion of it and allow some other relievers they signed to compete for the last couple of spots in March.

Between the additions of Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, Brooks Raley, David Robertson, and Brandon Nimmo (who re-signed last night), it has been quite the wild week for the New York Mets.

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