David Robertson is no stranger to finding himself in the center of trade deadline rumors, but this time it is different.
The Mets reliever is fully aware he could be dealt to a different team within the next week but is “not excited” about the possibility of it, even if it means playing for a contender.
“I like it here,” Robertson told Tim Healey of Newsday. “I’m not excited about it. It’s just what happens.”
The 38-year-old has a 2.08 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through 39 appearances this season, including 14 saves, as the Mets have turned to various relievers to fill the void after Edwin Diaz‘s season-ending injury in the World Baseball Classic.
But with a week to go until the trade deadline and the Mets entering the Subway Series vs. the Yankees at 46-53 and seven games out of the last NL Wild Card spot, the writing is on the wall.
“I was expecting us to be in a better position than where we’re at,” Robertson told Newsday. “Our season has not turned out the way we wanted it to. This team now is at a point where they’re probably thinking, if we don’t turn it around in the next few days, they’re going to try to make moves to pick up the pieces.”
Last year, Robertson was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies, but was happy to make the change as he entered the season looking to prove himself after several injury-plagued seasons.
It resulted in an opportunity to join the Phillies, who made a deep postseason run, winning the National League pennant, and also landed him his one-year, $10 million deal with the Mets this offseason.
While Robertson thought he’d stay in Queens the whole season, he’s ready to make the most of it if he is ultimately dealt.
“If they move me, it’s because the organization sees a need to, to make them better,” he continued to Newsday. “If they do, I’m going to end up on a team that really wants to have me. And I’ll probably end up in a very similar role that I’m in now, a high-leverage situation.
“If it happens, it happens. I’ll pack up everything and figure out where to go and figure out which hotel we’re going to live in and all that crap. Cars getting shipped. It’s just a mess. It’s a mess for a family.”