The Philadelphia Phillies have signed free agent reliever David Robertson, it was announced Monday.
Robertson, who was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, will receive more than $5 million for the rest of the season on his deal, which is for a prorated $16 million, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“I fielded enough offers that I had to make a decision quickly to come back to Philly,” Robertson said Monday. “It worked out. This place feels like home to me.”
The Phillies, in the midst of a division race with the Mets in the NL East, are in the bottom 10 in bullpen ERA at 4.30.
Robertson also figures to cost the Phillies an additional $6.6 million in luxury tax, raising his total price to $12.6 million. Philadelphia started the season with a projected luxury tax payroll of $306 million, fourth-highest behind the Dodgers and the Mets and Yankees.
The 40-year-old Robertson has been a free agent since declining $7 million mutual option with the Texas Rangers last November. He was 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA and two saves in 72 innings over 68 appearances last season, striking out 99 and walking 27.
The Phillies watched Robertson work out twice in the last two weeks, the last time on Saturday. The team plans on him having four or five minor league appearances before he can join the Phillies.
“He came in today, and it was like he hadn’t missed any time,” manager Rob Thomson said. “That’s just who he is. He’s a really good person, a really good teammate.”
Robertson was a key pitcher for the Yankees when they won the 2009 World Series and was an All-Star two years later with the franchise. He helped the Phillies reach the 2022 World Series, going 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight postseason games, and also played for them in 2019.
“We had a great run in ’22,” Robertson said. “It’s a good squad, a good opportunity for me, good bullpen to mix in into, great starting staff. Hoping that I can bridge the gap there late in games and we can win some ball games and get back into the postseason.”
A 16-year big league veteran, he is 66-46 with a 2.91 ERA and 177 saves for the Yankees (2008-14 and 2017-18), Chicago White Sox (2015-17), Philadelphia (2019 and 2022), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), Chicago Cubs (2022), New York Mets (2023), Miami Marlins (2023) and Texas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
