Prior to trading for one of the most coveted available closers at the trade deadline in Jhoan Duran, the Philadelphia Phillies inked veteran reliever David Robertson in late July to a one-year deal to help boost a subpar bullpen.
Robertson is 40 years old and has had two previous stints with the Phillies in 2019 and 2022. The right-hander had not thrown a pitch from a big-league mound since Sept. 29 of last season, but Dave Dombrowski and the club's front office felt it was worth taking a shot on him given the state of the relief pitching at the time and the reliever's track record.