The Brewers agreed to a one-year deal with infielder Daniel Robertson, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (via Twitter). The contract, a major league pact, will be official once Robertson passes a physical. Robertson will earn $900K in guaranteed money, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link), with another $400K available in incentives.
After being designated for assignment by the Rays last August, Robertson was acquired by the Giants and ended up appearing in 13 games for San Francisco, posting a .750 OPS over 24 plate appearances. He was non-tendered in December, as the Giants chose to let him go rather than pay a projected arbitration salary of roughly $1.2M.
Selected 34th overall by the A’s in the 2012 draft, Robertson went to Tampa Bay as part of the January 2015 trade that sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to Oakland. Robertson was garnering some attention on top-100 prospect lists at the time, and it seemed like he would be yet another shrewd Rays pickup after he broke out with a .262/.382/.415 slash line over 340 plate appearances in 2018.
That season was cut short by thumb surgery, however, and Robertson couldn’t get on track in 2019, hitting only .213/.312/.295 over 327 PA. With injuries also playing a factor in these struggles, it seemed like Tampa Bay moved on to other infield options. Robertson didn’t receive any playing time for the Rays last season before his DFA.
While Robertson’s right-handed bat isn’t necessarily the best platoon fit within Milwaukee’s current infield mix (Keston Hiura, Orlando Arcia and Luis Urias all swing from the right side), his ability to play second base, third base and shortstop make him an ideal candidate for a backup infielder role. The Brewers always prioritize utility types, and Robertson has also played a handful of games at other positions in the big leagues, appearing as a first baseman and both corner outfield slots.
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