Report: Nationals at stalemate with White Sox about Robertson
As pitchers and catchers for the Washington Nationals get set to report to spring training in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, the club is still negotiating a deal with the Chicago White Sox for closer David Robertson, but it doesn't appear things are moving in the right direction.
The two sides are at a stalemate and no trade is imminent, a high-ranking Nationals official told USA Today, although the White Sox remain optimistic a trade will get done.
Washington tried to have Robertson included in the deal for White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton in December, and thought they had a trade completed last week, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet.
The Nationals have been on the hunt for a closer for much of the offseason, but failed to sign Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman, and Kenley Jansen.
Washington heads into spring training with the hard-throwing Blake Treinen and veteran Shawn Kelley as their best candidates to secure the role, but Robertson would be an upgrade over both.
Career stats
| PITCHER | G | IP | ERA | SV | SVO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Robertson | 524 | 519 | 2.97 | 118 | 147 |
| Blake Treinen | 148 | 185.1 | 2.91 | 1 | 6 |
| Shawn Kelley | 356 | 342.1 | 3.50 | 11 | 23 |
The 31-year-old Robertson is under team control for the next two seasons and is still owed $25 million.