MINNEAPOLIS -- His placement on revocable waivers didn’t catch White Sox closer David Robertson by surprise.
Almost everyone lands on the waiver wire in August.
But Robertson said Tuesday he didn’t expect his name would be made public as several outlets reported, including CBSSports.com and USA Today. The New York Yankees’ claim of Robertson -- who signed a four-year, $46 million deal with the White Sox in December -- surfaced before the 2 p.m. EST deadline Monday for the teams to complete a trade.
Ultimately, the White Sox pulled Robertson off waivers as the teams didn’t reach a deal in time. Robertson said he didn’t worry much about a potential trade and mostly was amused by everyone else’s reaction. He’s also not surprised the White Sox may have gauged interest and wouldn’t be shocked if he’s made available this offseason, either.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in this clubhouse who’s not on the list,” Robertson said. “Usually that stuff just comes and goes.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, they’re dangling me out there probably hoping to get some kind of huge trade involved and getting rid of a lot of money and getting two of this and that.’ Every team does it. For me, it wasn’t a big worry. My first year I was worried, but every year you’re on it.”
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Robertson probably didn’t expect to be in this position after he first signed with the White Sox. After all, he hoped he could help them be in the thick of a pennant race in part because of a revamped bullpen.
While everything has worked out in that regard -- Robertson is 6-3 with 27 saves and a 2.60 ERA in 48 games -- the White Sox still have several big questions to address this offseason. It sounds if general manager Rick Hahn is open to using a number of avenues to resolve his club’s issues. One of those routes could involve making Nate Jones the closer and unloading Robertson for salary relief and prospects or major league ready talent.
“There’s no sacred cows,” Hahn said. “Everything is on the table and we are looking at everything.”
Robertson is aware.
He’s set to earn $11 million next season, $12 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018. Jones, who has 15 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings, earns $600,000 this season, though he’d be due a raise for 2016. But the difference in salary, the lack of a trade clause and the potential for players in return for a position the White Sox are suddenly comfortable with have Robertson alert about his situation -- even a potentially funky reunion with the Yankees.
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“Anything can happen,” Robertson said. “Those GMs are going to be wheeling and dealing, talking to everybody else, always trying to get better and take the next step. If it ends up being moved for them to do that, then they’re going to do it. There’s nothing I can say about, nothing I can do about it. I’m here to play, show up, do my job. I feel like the rest of that they handle.
“That would have been really weird to go back there. I would have been like ‘Ahhh, I was just here.’ Whatever. It was funny. It was funnier hearing people. Don’t worry about it -- it’s the waiver wire.”