David Robertson signs with Philadelphia, but are they done?

David Robertson is on the move. The former White Sox and Yankees pitcher has agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The team reported last Thursday. The contract is worth 2 years at 23 million dollars, with a 3rd year option.

Robertson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB draft and has spent the majority of his career there. He also played 3 seasons in Chicago, with the White Sox.

This move comes at the right time for the Phillies, who are hungry to get back to the playoffs and a team that is headed in the right direction. The Phillies had a solid season last year but came up just short towards the end of the year. They definitely have potential to compete with the Braves in the upcoming season.

For Robertson, though, he comes into a situation where he can be heavily used. During his time spent in New York and Chicago, he was used mostly as a relief pitcher, and was typically used anywhere between the 6th and 8th inning. Now in Philadelphia. Even though he has mostly been a middle reliever, Robertson does have some experience as a closer in his 3 years with Chicago.

In 69 games last year Robertson posted an 8-3 record had a 3.23 E.R.A and saved 5 games for the Yankees. Philadelphia has a somewhat strong bullpen but with the addition of Robertson they could be more successful. Having him just gives Phillies manager Matt Klentak more options coming out of the pen.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Phillies decide to make any other moves during the current offseason, and if they do. Who will they go after in particular? With the rotation being strong, it’s possible they could go after another starting pitcher to make it stronger. They already have Jake Arrieta and Aaron Nola, both of which are former All-Stars who pitched very consistently last year. Adding another big arm into this rotation could make the entire pitching staff very dangerous.

The Phillies started off the 2018 season on a high note. They were in close range of the division and held a Wild Card spot for a majority of the season. There were even times when Philadelphia held a lead in the N.L East, but that usually wasn’t for more than a week as the Braves played good baseball all through the year. The Braves would fight their way back up, and ended up winning the division.

Although the Phillies weren’t expected to do much during 2018 they did. Simple as that, they exceeded their expectations and competed in the division and for a WIld Card for the Majority of the season. A winning team brought excitement for the city of Philadelphia for the first time in a few years, and the Phillies carried some of that momentum up until the beginning of September when they began to skid.

On September the 1st, the Phillies were 73-62 and in control of the 2nd Wild Card spot in the N.L. They were also only 3 games back in their division behind the Braves. They were on a 4 game winning streak and felt confident. That would be the last run for them as they would go on to lose 19 of their last 27 games, finishing 9 games back in the division and being ruled out of playoff contention for another year.

It is possible for Philadelphia to surprise baseball again next year. They did it this year with some of the talent they have coming back, it will be interesting to see. They have to be able to play a whole season and not stop short. Good luck Phillies don’t blow it again.