New Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher David Robertson took an unconventional approach to his free agency this winter. He decided to forego an agent, firing his in October, and represent himself.

It’s a bold move with one obvious advantage — you’re not paying a commission to someone else — but it’s not something we see very often from established big leaguers. Much like when people choose to sell their house or represent themselves in court, there’s always going to be a debate about whether it would have been a wiser choice to use a professional.

As it were, Robertson agreed to a two-year deal with the Phillies on Thursday that will guarantee him $23 million. He’ll make $10 million in 2019 and $11 million in 2020. There’s a $12 million club option for 2021 that will pay Robertson $2 million if the Phillies don’t decide to pick it up.

An average agent commission in MLB is 5 percent, so Robertson saved about $1.15 million by representing himself. On the surface that seems like a wise move. If you can do something yourself that you’d pay someone else more than $1 million, you’d probably do it, right?

Negotiating a pro sports contract isn’t handling your own bathroom renovation, though. There’s a reason the DIY approach isn’t common. Because the average MLB front office has a lot more intel at its disposal than your average baseball player. If you’re a player, having an agency behind you levels the playing field. It’s why someone like superagent Scott Boras stumps for his clients the way he does and is known to present binders full of data on their attractive attributes.

Despite the savings, even Robertson admitted this would probably be a one-time thing.

“It was a great experience,” he told reporters on a conference call after his contract was official. “I don’t know if I would do it again, but I enjoyed the process.”

Robertson went 8-3 with five saves last season, posting a 3.23 ERA in 69 appearances with the Yankees. More

Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports condemned Robertson’s choice, saying his “savings” might only be short term:

“Very likely cost himself much more than that,” Heyman tweeted. “He is a smart guy but not a trained agent. And he probably understands this isn’t a do-it-yourself project. Last time, with a qualifying offer (and an agent), he got exactly twice as much.”

So let’s look at Robertson’s past contracts and some comparables from this year to see just how Robertson did:

In 2014, during the first free agency of his career, Robertson signed a four-year, $46 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. He was younger and coming off a slightly better season — his fWAR was 1.6 in 2014 compared to 1.5 in 2018. He also was getting closer money at that point, because he saved 39 games for the New York Yankees in his walk year.

That contract ended up being similar to his Phillies deal, just shorter. Robertson got $10 million the first year, $11 million the next, $12 million the third year and $13 million in the final year. If the Phillies pick up the third-year option for Robertson — who would be 36 by then — it would essentially be the same as the first three years of his White Sox deal.

On the surface that also seems fine. Robertson is older now, and the price doesn’t generally go up for a player in his 30s. Robertson is a quality relief pitcher, but not an elite one. He carried a 3.23 ERA last season with the Yankees (where he was traded in 2017).

A point to consider, however: Relief pitchers as a whole make a lot more than they did four years ago. As teams have put more value into the bullpens, that’s shot up the paychecks for closers and set-up men. Elite closers like Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen signed five-year, $80 million-plus deals when they were free agents.

Looking at this year’s crop of free-agent relief pitchers might bring more clarity to whether Robertson did a good job. Here are the three main comparable players to Robertson who have signed this offseason:

Story continues