Former Philadelphia Phillies' Reliever Signs Deal With World Series Champs
At this point in the offseason, there is probably nothing the Philadelphia Phillies can do, outside of signing Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, that would generate massive headlines.
They were interested in some of the bigger names out of the reliever pool, but couldn't land Robert Stephenson, Hector Neris, Jordan Hicks, Nick Martinez and others.
It will be interesting to see how the Phillies navigate the remainder of the winter. They reportedly have some interest in two specific options.
Philadelphia also saw one of their former bullpen pieces join the reigning World Series champions this offseason as well.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year, roughly $11-12 million contract with David Robertson.
The right-hander originally joined the Phillies in 2019 after signing a two-year, $23 million deal. However, he only made it to mid-April that year before suffering a flexor strain in his elbow that required Tommy John surgery to fix.
He appeared in seven games total for Philadelphia after missing the entire 2020 season.
Robertson made his return in 2022 when the Phillies traded Ben Brown to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for the reliever.
In 22 games, he posted an ERA of 2.70 and recorded six saves.
Philadelphia let him walk in free agency and he stayed in the NL East division, spending the first half of the 2023 season with the New York Mets before they traded him to the Miami Marlins at the deadline.
The 38-year-old has been effective the past two years since returning from Tommy John surgery.
In 2022, he had an ERA+ of 173 and in 2023 his ERA+ was 143.
If Robertson can keep that same level, he should be a welcome addition for the Rangers' bullpen who struggled mightily during the 2023 regular season.
