Phillies sign former All-Star pitcher

Going into the second half of the 2025 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies need all the help they can get to fends off the feisty New York Mets in a competitive battle for first place in the NL East. And on Sunday, the organization brought in some added depth in the bullpen with over a decade of experience at the highest level.

David Robertson hasn’t pitched at the MLB level this season, with most assuming that Robertson ultimately would eventually decide to officially announce his retirement.

But it turns out, Robertson may have just been looking for a contender interested in his services. And that is exactly what the Phillies presented him.

According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, Robertson agreed to a deal for the remainder of the 2025 season that will see the former All-Star receive more than $5 million.

Right-handed reliever David Robertson and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year deal, as @Ken_Rosenthal reported. Robertson will receive more than $5 million for the rest of the season on his deal, which is for a prorated $16 million. Phillies need RP badly.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 20, 2025

The move makes a ton of sense for the Phillies considering despite the team’s success, the bullpen has been a serious issue this year, sporting the eighth-worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball on the year.

It’s truly anyone’s guess what Robertson may look like considering he is 40 years of age and hasn’t pitched in a game since last September when he was playing for the Texas Rangers.

But with that being said, Robertson was quite impressive last season, sporting a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings pitched. It’s a gamble to bring in someone like Robertson. But if the gamble pays off, it could very well reshape the Phillies bullpen in a way that could make the organization true contenders this postseason.