Philadelphia Phillies Can Still Bolster Bullpen With This Effective Veteran

The Philadelphia Phillies can make one more move to bolster the back end of their bullpen before spring training.

Jun 21, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) delivers a pitch to the Kansas City Royals during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field. | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

It has been a solid offseason so far for the Philadelphia Phillies and with spring training right around the corner, they should be pleased with how the team is shaping up.

Coming into the offseason, there was some speculation that the Phillies might be looking to shake things up. However, while some changes were made, they didn’t completely revamp the team.

The loss to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series was certainly a tough pill to swallow for a team that had World Series aspirations. However, in a five-game series, things can happen.

In the postseason defeat, it did open some eyes to some of the problems on the roster.

During the regular season, the disappointing campaign from starting pitcher Taijuan Walker resulted in the need for to bring in another piece for the rotation. The Phillies arguably went above and beyond to fix that area by acquiring Jesus Luzardo in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

But the real need based on the postseason was in the bullpen.

Early on in the offseason, Philadelphia signed Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano. The former All-Star closer had a bad year in 2024 with injuries impacting his ability to pitch effectively. However, when healthy, he could be the shutdown closer that the Phillies have been looking for.

The addition of Romano will be a good one as long as he remains healthy, but Philadelphia did lose arguably their top two relief pitchers in 2024 Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency.

With both of those talented relief pitchers being elsewhere next year, adding another arm to provide depth and that can pitch in high-leverage situations makes sense.

Despite a flurry of relief pitchers going off the market in free agency lately, one who makes sense for them to pursue a reunion with is David Robertson.

The veteran right-hander pitched well for the Texas Rangers in 2024 with an ERA of 3.00. While he might not be an All-Star anymore, he could certainly come in and help pitch in late innings with effectiveness.

Philadelphia is hoping that Orion Kerkering continues to develop as a bright young pitcher out of the bullpen. But as it’s constantly shown in October, there is no such thing as too much relief pitching.

At 40 years old, Robertson would likely welcome going to a contender where he can have a significant impact. A reunion makes a lot of sense for both parties.