Yankees’ David Robertson could be free agent option for 2019 Red Sox

In an offseason full of tough decisions for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, it's worth mentioning that the Boston Red Sox appear in legitimate danger of losing Craig Kimbrel and/or Joe Kelly to free agency.

Kimbrel, who has converted 108 of 119 save opportunities (a 90.7 percent conversation percentage) in his three seasons with the Red Sox, has already rejected the club's qualifying offer and hits the open market as perhaps the market's top relief option. Kelly, meanwhile, has expressed his desire to spend the rest of his career in Boston, but has yet to sign a new deal in town.

Given the importance each fireball-hurling righty at various points in the regular season and throughout Boston's 14-game run to a World Series title, their losses would be undeniably painful to a Red Sox bullpen that proved capable in crunch-time.

But a potential fallback option has emerged.

Representing himself in free agency, it appears Yankees reliever and pending free agent David Robertson would like to sign somewhere that allows him to remain close to his Rhode Island home, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Looking at the geographical landscape of it all, such a desire on the part of the veteran right-hander would see Robertson consider the Yankees, Red Sox, New York Mets, and perhaps the Philadelphia Phillies.

In his second stint with the Yankees, the 33-year-old Robertson posted an 8-3 record out of the Yankee bullpen in 2018, and was credited with 21 holds (the ninth-most among American League relievers), along with 91 strikeouts over 69.2 innings.

Robertson does have experience as a closer, too, with three straight seasons of at least 34 saves from 2014 through 2016. In an 11-year career spent with the Yankees and Chicago White Sox, Robertson has converted 137 of 172 save opportunities.