Inside The Rangers

Former Rangers Reliever David Robertson Joins Phillies For Second Half Run

Former Texas Rangers reliever David Robertson has finally signed a new deal, joining the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2025 second half.
Dylan Sanders|
Sep 5, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) comes off the field after he pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the game at Globe Life Field.
Sep 5, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) comes off the field after he pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the game at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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The baseball world had been waiting to see how the free agency of former Texas Rangers standout reliever David Robertson would play out, and that domino finally fell on Sunday afternoon.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand broke the news that Robertson would be returning to the Philadelphia Phillies for the second half as they look to make a World Series run.

They're paying him well as he will make around $5 million on a prorated deal that would have been $16 million for a full campaign. Robertson had been seeking a hefty paycheck to return to baseball for another run and he finally received it.

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The 40-year-old spent last year on the Rangers, where he proved that he can still pitch at elite level at his advanced age.

He posted a 3.00 ERA with a 1.111 WHIP and 128 ERA+, with 99 strikeouts in 72 innings of work. He was an elite strikeout pitcher who also forced a ton of groundballs and bad contact. Any contending team would have been ecstatic to add that level of production to their squad.

That high price tag is likely why he didn't return to Texas in the first place. The Rangers instead opted to rework their bullpen with a bunch of guys on cheaper deals.

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The highest-paid reliever that they have on their staff now is Chris Martin at $5.5 million. Only he and Hoby Milner, at $2.5 million, received more than $2 million.

That cheaper approach actually worked out as their bullpen has the third-best ERA in baseball at 3.34 through 99 games.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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