The Phillies were in need of relief in July. While the trade for Jhoan Duran helped fortify the bullpen, the team knew that he wouldn’t be enough. So, they turned to free agency where an old friend was
waiting.
David Robertson originally signed with the Phillies as a free agent before 2019, and it was a disaster. Seven games into a two-year deal, the handsome righthander suffered an elbow strain that would eventually require Tommy John surgery.
He was able to make a comeback and was having a good 2022 season as the Cubs closer. The Phillies were in need of bullpen help (time is a circle), so they sent prospect Ben Brown to Chicago to bring Robertson back to Philadelphia.
He pitched well at first, but after heavy usage, he seemed to wear down towards the end of the year. After the season, the Phillies were content to let him become a free agent, and he went on to have two solid if unspectacular years.
At the start of 2025, he was a 40-year-old free agent and reportedly holding out for a high salary, although it’s possible that he simply realized he wouldn’t be able to hold up over a long season. Come late July, the Phillies decided that they could get two or three good months out of him and agreed to his prorated price.
The good
For the most part, Robertson was an effective setup man, pitching scoreless outings in 14 of his 20 appearances.
The bad
It soon became clear that while Robertson was fine if asked to pitch in an isolated game but ran into trouble when asked to pitch on back-to-back days. Apparently, at 40 years of age, his arm didn’t bounce back the way it used to.
His one playoff appearance also went poorly. In game one of the NLDS, he was called upon to escape a two-out jam of the sixth inning, and he was able to record the third out. But he remained in the game to start the seventh inning, which most fans thought was a bad decision as soon as it happened.
Most fans were right. He allowed the first two batters of the inning to reach base before being relieved. Those runners would go on to score, and the Phillies suffered a loss which they would never recover from.
His future with the Phillies
It might be time for Handsome Dave to hang it up. It doesn’t seem like he can pitch an entire season anymore, and wasn’t able to pitch effectively in back-to-back games even in a shortened stint.
If the Phillies reach a point in 2026 where they’re once again considering Robertson as an option, then something has gone drastically wrong.
