Early Yankees Spring Training injury should force Brian Cashman into pursuing much-needed reunion

The New York Yankees probably aren't as good now as they were with Juan Soto last season, but due to an underwhelming American League and their solid pivot after losing Soto, they're probably the favorite to win the pennant on paper.

A big reason why New York feels like the clear AL favorite right now is because of its bullpen. The Yankees not only traded for one of the best closers in the game former Milwaukee Brewers star Devin Williams, but they also traded for Fernando Cruz and re-signed Tim Hill, surrounding them with Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton and Jake Cousins. On paper, this Yankees bullpen is as good as any in the AL.

Unfortunately, a major piece of that bullpen is already hurt, with Cousins dealing with a forearm strain. While this doesn't sound like a catastrophic injury by any means, the fact that he currently isn't throwing makes his Opening Day availability questionable at best.

This injury should cause the Yankees to pursue a reunion with an old friend, David Robertson.

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Yankees should seriously explore David Robertson reunion after unfortunate Jake Cousins injury update

The good news is that, since Cousins suffered this injury in mid-February, he won't miss much of the regular season, if he has to miss any of it. Still, this is not a great start to the spring. Cousins emerged seemingly out of nowhere to post a 2.37 ERA in 38 innings of work in the regular season, armed with a wicked slider and a power sinker. He is expected to be a key middle reliever when healthy, but who knows for sure when that will be?

Even with Cousins in the mix, the Yankees seemingly had room to add one more reliever, especially if they trade Marcus Stroman, as they've been rumored to be wanting to do all winter. If Cousins opens the season on the shelf, they'll definitely have room for another arm. Why not go all out, in that case, and sign the best reliever left?

Robertson might be 39 years old, but he's still as reliable as they come late in games. He posted a 3.00 ERA in 68 appearances and 72 innings of work for the Texas Rangers in 2024, and he has a 2.82 ERA while averaging 63 appearances and 67 innings pitched over the last three seasons.

What really sticks out about the Robertson fit for the Yankees in particular, outside of his experience in New York and in the postseason, is his ability to get left-handed hitters out. Robertson was nothing short of dominant against lefties in 2024, holding them to a .145 average and a .467 OPS nearly 200 points lower than his .653 mark against right-handed hitters. Hill is the only left-handed reliever in New York's bullpen, and it'd be nice to have another arm for Aaron Boone to turn to against any left-handed hitter.

Do the Yankees need to do this? Probably not with all of the solid arms still in New York's bullpen, but just imagine a 'pen consisting of Williams, Weaver, Robertson, Hill, Cruz, Hamilton, and Cousins. That would be the best not only in the American League, but probably in the major leagues as well, making New York incredibly tough to beat late in games in October.

Will this happen? Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have been incredibly stingy when it comes to spending since nearing the dreaded "Cohen Tax" threshold, but it absolutely should happen. The Yankees certainly have the money to spend, and Robertson can get them ever so closer to getting back to the World Series.