The bullpen was their Achilles Heel last year. So, the Rangers have added to it this offseason.

They signed Kirby Yates. Traded for Daniel Duarte. And, yesterday, signed David Robertson, a thirty-eight-year-old right-handed closer who split his time between the Mets and the Marlins in 2023. It was the tale of two Robertsons.

In forty games with the Mets, he was brilliant out of the pen. His ERA was 2.05, he had fourteen saves, and an ERA+ of 207, meaning he was more than twice as good as the league average. The Mets were out of contention almost from opening day, so at the trade deadline they dealt Robertson to the contending Marlins.

He hit with a thud. In twenty-two games with Miami, his ERA was 5.06. That brilliant ERA+ plummeted from 207 to 98—just a tick below average—with just four saves.

He’s been effective most of his career, though. Over fifteen well-traveled big league seasons (with the Yankees, White Sox, Phillies, Mets, Rays, Cubs, and Marlins), Robertson’s career ERA is 2.90, he’s won more games than he’s lost (63-42) and he’s racked up 175 saves, including thirty-nine for the Yankees in 2014, thirty-four for the White Sox in 2015, and thirty-seven for them in 2016. 

With Yates on board, now the Rangers have acquired two former big-time closers. More than anything, though, they are building a much better bullpen.

And that was something they absolutely had to do. They rode Sborz and Leclerc to the World Series title. They can’t do that for 162 games.