A Familiar Face Returns to Phillies: Phillies and Relief Pitcher Ready to Make Magic Happen Again in a Perfect Reunion

As the offseason continues for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team still has some time to make improvements before next season.

It hasn’t quite been as busy of a winter as many were thinking it could be for the Phillies this offseason. After losing to the New York Mets and winning just one game in the National League Divisional Series, it seemed like a shakeup was coming for Philadelphia. However, they have kept the core pretty much intact this winter, and it seems unlikely that will be changing at this point.

One of the areas they wanted to improve that struggled in the postseason was their bullpen. Coming into the offseason, the Phillies had arguably their best two relief pitchers in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez set to become free agents.

Both are still on the market, but Philadelphia signed former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano to fill that role. The signing of Romano, likely indicates that either one or potentially both could be pitching elsewhere next year.

If both are indeed gone, the Phillies could still use another arm or two in the bullpen. With Orion Kerkering expected to move into a more high-leverage role, finding a 6th or 7th-inning type of pitcher should suffice.

One name who makes a lot of sense for Philadelphia is David Robertson. The veteran right-hander has bounced around the league of late, but he has been a solid relief pitcher throughout his career.

While he might not be able to be a closer or a setup man anymore, he could be exactly what the Phillies are looking for and need in their bullpen.

Robertson has already had two different stints in Philadelphia with one being in 2019 and the other being in 2022. In 2022, the veteran was solid for them, totaling a 2.70 ERA in 23.1 innings of work.

Despite being 39 years old now, he is coming off a really strong season with the Texas Rangers. In 2024, he totaled a (3-4) record, a 3.00 ERA, and struck out 99 batters in 72 innings pitched.

With experience in the postseason and in high-leverage situations, Robertson would be a good fit on a lot of teams. At this stage in his career, he is likely to pitch in a somewhat significant role for a contender.

The Phillies should certainly be able to provide that for him, and he makes perfect sense for them to sign.