The 2025 Philadelphia Phillies have lost two late-inning bullpen relievers this offseason, with Carlos Estévez signing with the Kansas City Royals and Jeff Hoffman with the Toronto Blue Jays.
With pitchers and catchers set to report on Tue., Feb. 11, with the first workout Feb.12, this Phillies organization could be looking for a late offseason splash.
It would not be the first time the Phillies made a signing late into the offseason under Dave Dombrowski. A year ago, the organization signed Whit Merrifield and Spencer Turnbull, two players who saw time with the Phillies. The Phillies also added an older veteran pitcher when the team signed Craig Kimbrel leading up to the 2023 season, so history is there.
Philadelphia currently lacks one more late-inning bullpen piece and a veteran difference-maker is still sitting on the open market looking for a home.
It is time for the Phillies to turn to a 39-year-old veteran who has had two stints with the organization already in David Robertson. His first stint with the club was shortened after he had a season-ending injury, only throwing in seven games before the Phillies added Robertson at the 2022 trade deadline which he threw in 22 games after the deadline.
While it is clear the team is ready to put more trust into Orion Kerkering and continue to elevate his role in the back end of the bullpen. The uncertainty of Jordan Romano coming off an arm injury should spark the interest of the Phillies to bring in one more reliever and continue to add pitching depth to this team.
David Robertson makes sense for a Phillies bullpen that searched for answers last postseason
Robertson is 66-46 with a 2.91 career ERA with 177 career saves. With the Phillies, the veteran right-handed pitcher had a 3.30 ERA in 29 games. Understandably, fans may be worried about his age but even as Robertson gets older he continues to perform at a high level. In his last three seasons, aged 37-39, he still has a bWAR of 6.0 and an ERA of 2.82 with 40 saves in 188 games.
The veteran right-hander has thrown in the postseason in nine different seasons with a career 3.04 postseason ERA, including being a part of the Phillies' trip to the 2022 World Series. In the 2022 postseason, he threw in eight different games, only allowing one run, including four shutout innings in the World Series.
With spring training right around the corner and bullpen depth always important, the Phillies should act quickly, as another team will be looking to make the same move. The Phillies may have an edge being a contender, and Robertson, having played in Philadelphia before could reignite interest between the two sides.
Robertson will be 40 years old by season end in 2025, which means the veteran right-hander would most likely welcome a one-year deal and want to sign with a contender. This is the move that could save the Phillies from missing the two back-end bullpen pieces lost this offseason and solidify the bullpen heading into spring training and depth for the entirety of the season.
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