Sox sign closer Robertson to 4-year deal
With the trade acquisition of Jeff Samardzija, the front end of the White Sox' starting rotation, which also includes ace Chis Sale and Jose Quintana, stacks up as one of baseball's best.
On Thursday, the Sox fortified the troublesome back end of their bullpen.
They paid a steep price - $46 million over four years - but the White Sox are feeling much better about holding leads in the ninth inning after signing free-agent closer David Robertson.
"David fills an immediate need," Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "David had an excellent 2014 season in the difficult role of replacing arguably the greatest closer in history in Mariano Rivera, and before that he established himself as one of the top setup men in the game."
Taking over as the Yankees' closer last season after Rivera retired as baseball's all-time saves leader with 652, Robertson finished third in the American League with 39 saves in 44 opportunities.
The 29-year-old righty also had 96 strikeouts in 64⅓ innings while going 4-5 with a 3.08 ERA.
"Replacing a legend, I can't speak highly enough about the guy," Robertson said of Rivera. "He was a wonderful mentor and he taught me tons on the field and off the field."
As for the on-field pressure of replacing Rivera, Robertson said New York fans and the media were more concerned.
"When he retired and I took over as the closer, I wasn't really worried about what was going to happen because I knew if could just stick to my guns and do the same thing I've done in the eighth inning in the ninth inning, we'd be all right and win ballgames," said Robertson, who tied for the major-league lead with 97 holds from 2011-13. "I never approached it as anything more than that. It's a job. I've got to go out and do my job, get my three or four outs, and we win and go home."
The White Sox have had losing records in each of the last two years and haven't made it to the playoffs since 2008.
Robertson expects that to change next season, and it's a big reason he chose to sign with the Sox.
"I think the White Sox have a great club," Robertson said. "I love what Rick Hahn has been doing this off-season. I like the moves he's making with getting (Adam) LaRoche and Zach Duke and trading for Samardzija. I feel like he's building a good squad that's really going to be a competitor next year."
Having already added Robertson and Duke to a bullpen that ranked 14th out of 15 AL teams with a 4.38 ERA last season while issuing the most walks (236) in the majors, Hahn said he is still shopping for another proven reliever.
Hahn also said the Sox are exploring an upgrade in left field. Dayan Viciedo currently occupies the position, but he had a .231/.281/.405 hitting line last season and is a likely trade candidate.
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