For Yankees’ Robertson, a $15.3M pitch, with a catch

In his long, recordbreaking career as a closer, playing in a huge baseball market, Mariano Rivera ultimately made $15 million a year, the most any relief pitcher has ever been paid.

Now, a little more than a year since Rivera’s retirement, his successor on the New York Yankees, David Robertson, has the chance to surpass that figure. On Monday, Robertson became one of 12 free agents who received a qualifying offer from their teams — a one-year, $15.3 million pact.

Robertson, along with the 11 other players, has seven days to decide whether to accept the offer. If he rejects it, Robertson can still negotiate a long-term deal with the Yankees, but he could also go elsewhere. It should be noted that of the 22 players extended qualifying offers over the previous two years, none accepted.

The catch, though, is that if Robertson or any of the other players were to decline the offer and sign elsewhere, his new team would be required to forfeit a first-round draft pick, unless that team had a top-10 pick, which is protected. In that case, the team would surrender a pick in the next round.

For some, this creates an interesting situation. The Colorado Rockies, for instance, extended an offer to 35-year-old outfielder Michael Cuddyer, a potential target for the New York Mets. That might discourage the Mets from pursuing him, since they might not want to surrender a top pick for a player who is considered a solid hitter but hardly a star.

Then again, Cuddyer was the National League batting champion in 2013, although injuries limited him to 190 at-bats in 2014, when he hit .332.

In addition to Robertson and Cuddyer, the list of 12 players includes some highly prominent names: Detroit pitcher Max Scherzer and designated hitter Victor Martinez; San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval;

Baltimore outfielder Nelson Cruz, who led the majors in home runs in 2014; and Kansas City pitcher James Shields. The others are Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, Pittsburgh pitcher Francisco Liriano and catcher Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez and Atlanta pitcher Ervin Santana.

Robertson, if he declines the offer, is expected to be one of the most sought-after relievers on the free-agent market. The Yankees then would have to debate how much they want to pay him, or any reliever, in a multiyear deal. But it is unlikely that the Yankees, or anyone else, would offer Robertson as much as $15.3 million per year.

In his first full year as the Yankees’ closer, Robertson tallied 39 saves in 44 opportunities. He also averaged about 11/ strikeouts per inning and posted a 3.08 earned run average. But the Yankees also appear to have a cheap alternative available in Dellin Betances. As Robertson’s setup man, Betances often made the eighth inning captivating to watch. Listed at 6 feet 8 inches, he was an intimidating presence.

Though it appears unlikely, Robertson could potentially overvalue himself. Two high-profile free agents — Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales — became examples last year of what can happen when players decline a qualifying offer and do not find a better deal elsewhere.

Drew waited, and finally re-signed with his previous team, the Boston Red Sox, in May, for a prorated amount of the qualifying offer over the rest of the season. Morales finally signed with the Minnesota Twins in June, for a prorated salary about $2 million less than the qualifying offer.

Drew was traded to the Yankees and finished with a .162 average. And Morales was traded back to the team he had left, the Seattle Mariners, and for the rest of the year batted just .207.