Phillies

Phillies Agree to a One-Year Deal with Former Phillie David Robertson

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Jul 20th, 2025 · 6:36 PM EDT

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The Phillies agreed to a deal with former Phillie David Robertson, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:

Phillies in agreement with free-agent reliever David Robertson, pending physical, source tells @TheAthletic. Story: https://t.co/lq1kKlwvIA

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 20, 2025

Robertson, 40, has been a free agent this entire year. The feeling around the league was that Robertson was asking for more money in the offseason than teams wanted to give him. Robertson threw for scouts from nine different teams this past weekend, and it was ultimately the Phillies who won the sweepstakes for the veteran reliever.

This will be Robertson’s third tenure in Philadelphia. He threw 6.2 innings in 2019, didn’t pitch all of 2020 due to injury, then left for Tampa Bay in 2021. He returned to the Phillies at the trade deadline in 2022, and is now back in a bullpen that needs multiple reinforcements.

It was a little shocking to see Robertson not even get a chance from a team this season. He logged a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings last season, allowing just five home runs while striking out 99 batters. He had a 128 ERA+, a 1.111 WHIP, and a 2.65 FIP for the Texas Rangers. Robertson had a 2.70 ERA with the Phillies in 2022.

Obviously, this can’t be the big bullpen move. But being able to scoop up a veteran reliever, who still has something left in the tank, and not have to give away and prospects is always a win.

The Phillies’ bullpen doesn’t just need one arm, they need multiple arms. Not having to trade for multiple relievers allows this team to still grab a big one at the deadline, like a Jhoan Duran or Emmanuel Clase, while still keeping their focus more on the lineup.

There are a lot of numbers floating around right now about what the Phillies will pay Robertson. What we know is that it’s a 1-year, $16M prorated deal. The Phillies, according to Matt Gelb, will be giving Robertson around $5.5M for the rest of this season.