Recently, we reacted to the idea of the Toronto Blue Jays signing Devin Williams. However, since Williams is one of the best relievers on the market, now is a good time to look into a backup plan.
David Robertson could be a strong addition for the Blue Jays if they’re not able to make any other notable moves at reliever. At 40 years old, Robertson isn’t going to be highly prioritized by many MLB teams, but it’s not as if he’s been awful either.
Although Robertson likely only has a season or two left in the tank, his past few years of production should earn him another contract in the MLB. Here’s why the Blue Jays could make a ton of sense for Robertson if they’re unable to add Williams or another top reliever.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT
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David Robertson Joining Toronto Blue Jays in MLB Free Agency
This past year, Robertson was on the Philadelphia Phillies, where he had 0.2 WAR, 4.08 ERA, and a 1.472 WHIP. While these numbers aren’t bad, they’re clearly a decline from 2023.
With the Texas Rangers in 2024, Robertson had 1.7 WAR, a 3.00 ERA, and a 1.111 WHIP. While down years happen all the time in baseball, it’s been more worrisome when the lack of production seems to come because of age.
Going back to 2025 in order to look at Robertson’s numbers on Baseball Savant, he had a Pitching Run Value of zero. All across the board, these numbers were fairly mediocre. Robertson had a zero Fastball Run Value, -1 Breaking Run Value, and an Offspeed Run Value of zero.
How David Robertson Fits with the Toronto Blue Jays
The same idea of why the Blue Jays would want to sign Williams applies here. Toronto could really use some help with their relievers.
In that article, it explains that, “As for the Blue Jays, their relievers had the 16th-best ERA (3.98) in the MLB regular season, which isn’t great. Of course, that doesn’t tell the full story, but it’s worth mentioning.”
Beyond just the fit in terms of the Blue Jays looking for some depth, Robertson should want to play for a team that’s looking to contend in 2026 for his last few years. With Robertson only having one World Series under his belt, which came in 2009, having another would be a great way to go out.
As for whether the Blue Jays can help make that happen, there’s no reason to assume that they won’t be a contender in 2026. After coming so close to winning the World Series last year, expect the Blue Jays to make another deep run in 2026 with the amount of talent they still have on their roster.
Even if Robertson doesn’t play a major role for Toronto next year, his veteran presence could be mutually beneficial on both sides.
David Robertson Stats
Despite only making the All-Star game once, Robertson has been a fantastic pitcher, and his stats back that up. Robertson has 21.9 WAR, a 2.93 ERA, and a 1.162 WHIP.
Robertson has now played for eight different teams over 17 years, and the Blue Jays would be his 9th. While adding David Robertson to the mix may be a bit unnecessary if the Toronto Blue Jays are able to sign a top arm for their bullpen, it’s not a bad backup plan to have at all.