The Philadelphia Phillies and their bullpen were hit with the devastating news when reliever José Alvarado was handed an 80-game PED suspension last weekend. Alvarado was in the midst of a huge bounce back season after a less-than-stellar 2024 campaign, having posted a solid 4-1 record with seven saves, along with a 2.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 innings of work.
The sudden news has left the Phillies with a huge hole to fill in their bullpen for the coming months and the postseason.
With that in mind, it now feels more and more inevitable that Philadelphia will eventually reunite with a former playoff hero, star reliever David Robertson. After all, Robertson is currently and surprisingly still available in free agency, so the Phillies wouldn’t need to give up any assets to acquire him. He also happens to be the top option left on the open market.
Phillies should bring back David Robertson to help the bullpen after losing José Alvarado
In fact, a source recently confirmed that Philadelphia had actually already reached out to the veteran right-hander even before the announcement of Alvarado’s suspension, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
"No serious talks took place, the source said," wrote Feinsand. "But it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Phillies considered a reunion with the 40-year-old, who has had two previous stints in Philadelphia."
Adding the former All-Star reliever would certainly provide a legitimate boost to the Phillies’ relief corps and significantly make up for the loss of Alvarado. Robertson was coming off a solid 2024 campaign even at the bearded age of 39 with the Texas Rangers in which he compiled a 3-4 record with a tidy 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a whopping 99 strikeouts in just 72 innings pitched over 68 relief appearances.
In case Phillies fans have somehow forgotten, the last time Robertson was a part of the organization was in 2022 when he was acquired at the trade deadline by Philadelphia from the Chicago Cubs for the stretch run. He posted a stellar 2.70 ERA along with six saves and 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings pitched over 22 appearances during the final two months to help lead the Phillies into the postseason for the first time in over a decade. They went all the way to the World Series, but ended up just falling short to the Houston Astros in six games. Robertson certainly did his part as the hero to help give Philadelphia their best chance at winning by amassing a sparkling 1.17 ERA with 11 strikeouts in just 7 2/3 innings of work over eight postseason appearances.
Giving Robertson another chance at glory and to complete some unfinished business with the team that he has played for twice previously could be just what the doctor ordered. His valuable addition would no doubt prop this current Phillies team back up after suffering the sudden loss of Alvarado for an extended period of time.
What’s there to lose for Philadelphia, other than perhaps some time and patience to get Robertson back up to game speed from the long layoff waiting in free agency? So, time to get it done, Phillies.