By james art 
Texas Rangers veteran reliever David Robertson opted out of the final year of his contract on Saturday. This is good news for the Seattle Mariners, as Robertson is a valuable member of a bullpen that continues to be quite productive despite being 39 years old.
As expected, RHP David Robertson did not exercise his side of the mutual option in his 2025 contract and will be a free agent.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) November 2, 2024
In short, anything that weakens the Rangers is good news for the Mariners.
Robertson was set to make $7 million in 2025 with Texas, so he’s undoubtedly looking for a more lucrative contract this offseason.
The 39-year-old went 3-4 this season with a 3.00 ERA as the Rangers fell short of a repeat of their 2023 World Series season. They finished third in the American League West behind the Houston Astros and Mariners.
A 16-year veteran, Robertson has traveled extensively throughout his career. He has played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. He is 66-46 throughout his career with a 2.91 ERA. He has served as both a closer and a set man.
In addition to losing Robertson, the Rangers have even more questions about their pitching staff. Former closer Jose Leclerc is also a free agent, as is starting pitcher Max Scherzer. There are health questions surrounding Jacob de Grom and John Gray.
As for Robertson, he won’t have a problem finding work this offseason. That job probably won’t be with the Mariners, though. Projected to have about $20-25 million in salary cap space this offseason, the M’s likely won’t use a fraction of that on Robertson, though they could use another bull arm or two.
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