Despite the usual fan anxiety, the Atlanta Braves are in really good shape heading into the 2025 season all things considered. Yes, the team will be without Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, and Sean Murphy to start the year, but all should be back relatively quickly and the rest of the roster looks healthy and strong.
The one area of the roster is a bit speculative is the Braves' bullpen which is normally an area of strength and depth. Losing stalwart reliever AJ Minter in free agency was a pretty big deal to be sure, but an arguably bigger problem was the injury to Joe Jimenez that threw the Braves for a loop. With no impact moves to address the relief corps unless you count Hector Neris, it is fair to say that Atlanta's bullpen is strictly worse than their 2024 group.
Fortunately, the one player demographic that still has some free agents left on the market worth having is bullpen arms. One in particular, veteran David Robertson, is a name that the Braves need to strongly considering adding before Opening Day.
Braves should sign former Yankees reliever David Robertson to atone for their biggest offseason error
We know that the Braves wanted to add relief help this offseason. Top Braves exec Alex Anthopoulos said as much in February when talking about Atlanta's offseason moves or lack thereof. While he had explanations for why the team didn't do more to bolster other areas of the roster, Anthopoulos acknowledged that the loss of Jimenez in particular was one that the Braves failed to address as well as he would have liked.
VIDEO: This offseason there was a lot of discussion surrounding the lack of moves made by the #Braves.
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) February 14, 2025
GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke to media this morning and addressed that question -- citing the guys already in house looking to make big jumps this season. pic.twitter.com/2ViKUv8czy
This is where Robertson comes in. While he is not the dominant force he was during the first decade or so of his 16 year career, he showed last season that he has something left in the tank. In 68 appearances with the Rangers in 2024, Robertson posted a 3.00 ERA while striking out 99 batters in 72 innings of work. Not too shabby for a guy that is about to turn 40 years old.
At this point in his career, Robertson probably is going to have to settle for one year deals until he decides to retire. This is precisely the type of situation that the Braves love as they could address an area of need without needing to commit big money on a longer term deal.
The real question here is what Robertson wants. Despite interest from a number of teams this offseason, Robertson has lingered on the market much longer than most thought he would. Perhaps he is holding out for more money than he has been offered or even a multi-year deal. There is also a chance that there are only a few teams he would like to play for and failing that, he is happy to retire. Whatever the case may be, the Braves need to be on the phone trying to convince him to join assuming that his asking price is anywhere close to reasonable.