Sought after ex-Mets reliever signs with Phillies

The New York Mets now have one less available reliever on their radar.

May 31, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher David Robertson (30) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

According to a July 15 article from Will Sammon of The Athletic, the New York Mets were among the teams that had looked into potentially signing veteran right-handed relief pitcher David Robertson.

Robertson signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Mets before the 2023 season and made 40 relief appearances for the Mets in that campaign, posting a 4-2 record with a sterling 2.05 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.

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Despite this success endearing him to the Mets' fanbase, Robertson was traded to the Miami Marlins a few days before the 2023 MLB trade deadline. He went on to produce a 3.00 ERA in 60 appearances for the Texas Rangers in 2024, but remained a free agent throughout this year.

2024 David Robertson against the top 20 hitters by OPS

21 AB, 0 H, 0 BB, 13 K, 86.4 MPH AVG EV pic.twitter.com/Dbz9wY6mJn

— Peyton | BigLeagueAnalysis (@bsblwithpeyton) February 15, 2025

However, Robertson is a free agent no longer, which ESPN's Jeff Passan revealed in a July 20 X post that wrote, "Right-handed reliever David Robertson and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year deal... 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."

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

While the Mets aren't as in desperate need of a righty reliever as they are for impact lefties out of the bullpen, they surely would have preferred that Robinson ended up somewhere else than with one of their biggest divisional rivals.

Regardless, New York's front office will now need to look elsewhere in bolstering their bullpen, which would seemingly be through making a trade before the July 31 deadline at this point.