The Philadelphia Phillies have made a notable upgrade to their bullpen as they look to position themselves for a postseason run.
Veteran relief pitcher David Robertson agreed to a contract with the Phillies on Sunday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal is worth $5.5M, which represents the pro-rated amount of a one-year, $16M contract.
Robertson, 40, has not pitched since he was with the Texas Rangers last year. The right-hander posted a 3.00 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 27 walks in 72 innings for Texas. Robertson declined his portion of a mutual option at the end of the 2024 season and instead accepted a $1.5M buyout to become a free agent.
Robertson is best known for spending the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the New York Yankees from 2008-14. He made his lone All-Star appearance in 2011. Robertson also played a key role in the postseason for the Yankees in 2009, which was the last time they won a World Series.
Robertson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, has also pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox.
The Phillies fell to 56-43 on Sunday with an 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. They remain in first place in the NL East, but their bullpen has been an area of weakness.
José Alvarado, Philadelphia’s best reliever, is currently serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. While he is eligible to return before the end of the regular season, MLB rules prohibit him from playing in the playoffs.
