Top 4 former Phillies players who are still unsigned

3. David Robertson

Every Phillies fan knows the name of David Robertson — not just because he helped the New York Yankees defeat the Charlie Manuel-led team in the 2009 World Series, but that he pitched just 6 2/3 innings across his recent two-year, $23 million contract with the Phillies (including a $2 million buyout for 2021).

Robertson has thrown multiple showcases this offseason, the most recent occurring on February 19, when more than a dozen teams attended, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The right-hander reportedly looked good at the showcase, sitting at 90 to 91 miles per hour and touched 92 on “multiple occasions.”

One scout even told great baseball scribe Peter Gammons, with confidence, that Robertson would be signed. Fast-forward to now, and the soon-to-be 36-year-old is still without a new contract.

During his Phillies tenure, Robertson battled through an elbow injury. He faced just 33 batters at the start of the 2019 campaign, allowing eight hits, four runs (all earned), one home run, and six walks, while striking out six batters en route to an 0-1 record, 5.40 ERA, and 2.100 WHIP ratio.

Robertson’s final Phillies appearance was on April 14, 2019, and he would later undergo Tommy John surgery that summer. Eyeing a return sometime in the summer of 2020, Robertson suffered a setback and also missed the entire COVID-19 shortened season.

Robertson never got to pitch with the Phillies under his long-time Yankees skipper, Joe Girardi — only under Gabe Kapler in his final season in Philadelphia before he was fired.

2. Maikel Franco

After six seasons with the Phillies from 2014-19, third baseman Maikel Franco thrived in his first taste of American League action this past season with the Kansas City Royals. Playing in all 60 games, he slashed .278/.321/.457 with 16 doubles, eight home runs, and 38 RBI.

During his final season in red pinstripes in 2019, Franco played in 123 games and had just one more double (17) than he would collect with the Royals a year later. He also slashed a much-worse .234/.297/.409.

Despite the successful bounce-back year, the Royals non-tendered Franco in early December, making him a free-agent. It was the second straight offseason that a team non-tendered the Dominican Republic native, with the Phillies doing the same after the 2019 season.

This past Friday, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that the free-agent market for the 28-year-old is beginning to “heat up,” with the Baltimore Orioles among the teams reportedly interested in him. Franco has 16 career plate appearances at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, collecting only two singles and a home run, along with three RBI, while slashing .188/.188/.375.

With the Phillies having both Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins manning corner infield positions, there is no longer a fit for Franco to play for the Phillies. And, even if they considered bringing him back for bench depth, Brad Miller, whoever loses out the starting center field job, backup catcher Andrew Knapp, and others, are already filling out the few spots there as well.

A 2008 Phillies World Series champion, Cole Hamels, is not yet ready to retire.

Similar to David Robertson‘s recent stint with the Phillies, the recent stint of 2008 World Series champion Cole Hamels with the division-rival Atlanta Braves was also short-lived — albeit having a high-dollar contract.

Signed last season to a one-year, $18 million deal, Hamels appeared in just one start and 3 1/3 innings in a Braves uniform — allowing three hits, three runs (all earned), and one walk across 14 batters faced.

Hamels suffered multiple setbacks leading up to the season, including experiencing triceps tendinitis just weeks before Opening Day in July. He had missed all of spring training a few months prior with a shoulder strain, and would not have been ready for the season had it began on time.

Hamels’ career to date has spanned 15 seasons with four different teams — the Phillies from 2006-15, the Texas Rangers from 2015-18, and the Chicago Cubs from 2018-19, and last season with the Braves.

There are no signs that Hamels wants to hang up the cleats just yet. In mid-January, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported that Hamels intends to pitch this coming season. But, at the same time, he appears to be drawing little to no interest in the free-agent market.

The Gabe Kapler-led San Francisco Giants reportedly expressed “preliminary interest” in Hamels at the time of Morosi’s report, but nothing has come about since.

Perhaps, if the Phillies remain in contention well into the season, they will give their former ace a call if a deep postseason run feels possible. Also, injuries are bound to happen as pitchers adjust from 60 games to 162. The team added Matt Moore and Chase Anderson to its rotation, and has Spencer Howard and Vince Velasquez as backups, but there is not much depth beyond those four.