Miami Marlins make a change at closer

We were excited when the Miami Marlins acquired David Robertson for the bullpen. That excitement was short-lived however. The Fish have been struggling and a brutal upcoming September stretch can cost the team the playoffs. The recent bullpen change will affect the team going forward, what actually went down?

The Miami Marlins remove David Robertson from the closer role.

David Robertson was supposed to strengthen the Miami Marlins bullpen. He was supposed to be the elite bullpen arm that The Fish badly needed. He did not live up to those expectations... Robertson started his career with the New York Yankees. He played for the Bronx Bombers from 2008 to 2014. During that time, he won a World Series and pitched to a 2.81 ERA/2.74 FIP, with 12.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 402 games and 393.1 innings pitched. He took over as the closer in 2014 and recorded 39 saves.

He signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent, and delivered a 3.44 ERA/3.04 FIP, with 11.5 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 122 games and 125.2 innings pitched from 2015-2016. He also recorded 71 saves. David Robertson split 2017 between Chicago and the New York Yankees, delivering a 1.84 ERA/2.57 FIP, with 12.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 61 games and 68.1 impressive innings.

He pitched for the New York Yankees in 2018, and delivered a 3.23 ERA/2.97 FIP, with 11.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 69 games and 69.2 innings pitched. His career stalled with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays due to injuries after. From 2019-2021 he barely pitched and recorded a 4.82 ERA/4.53 FIP, with 10.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in19 games and 18.2 innings pitched. He did however manage to bounce back in 2022, as he split the season between the Chicago Cubs and Philly and delivered a 2.40 ERA/3.58 FIP in 63.2 innings.

David Robertson was effective for the New York Mets this season, pitching to a 2.05 ERA/3.59 FIP with 9.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 44.0 innings. He even recorded 14 saves. Things were catastrophic for him with the Miami Marlins so far, as he has a 7.20 ERA/6.17 FIP with 8.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 10 games and 10 innings pitched. He has already blown 3 saves. Tanner Scott takes over as the new closer, and has already recorded a save yesterday. He has a 2.55 ERA/2.24 FIP so far this season.

Tanner Scott has been better than David Robertson this season, so hopefully the bullpen will be improved enough to get the job done going forward. Scott has been the most reliable reliever on the Miami Marlins this season.