January 03, 2019
The Phillies have been rumored to have interest in nearly every player available, via trade or free agency, for what seems like forever with nothing to show for it but outfielder Andrew McCutchen and infielder Jean Segura.
Finally, in a signal that the team may be turning the tide of things, it was reported that the team had agreed to a two-year deal with reliever David Robertson.
BREAKING: David Robertson has agreed to a two-year deal with the Phillies that guarantees him at least $23 million. He’ll earn $10M in 2019, $11M in 2020, with a $12M club option ($2M buyout) for 2021. He’s passed a physical and the deal is complete.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 3, 2019
Robertson is 33 and was an All-Star with the Yankees in 2011. He has a career ERA of 2.88 and has 137 saves in 654 big league appearances.
The most attractive part of Robertson's resume is his postseason experience. He's pitched in 30 playoff games and has a 5-0 record with a 3.48 ERA.
In joining the Phillies bullpen, he'll have veteran experience and leadership to lend to a green group, recently bolstered with minor moves this same offseason. The unit allowed an average of 4.49 runs per game in 2018, just around the league average.
So the 2019 #phillies bullpen, at the moment, looks something like...
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) January 3, 2019
R S. Dominguez
R T. Hunter
R D. Robertson
R P. Neshek
R J. Nicasio
R H. Neris
R. V Arano
L A. Morgan
L J. Alvarez
That's... pretty appealing, actually, and there's lots of others like Ramos, Rios, etc.
This is the first free agent sining for the Phillies since McCutchen inked here back in mid December and perhaps will bring some momentum Philly's way as they look to build a case to sign Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado.
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