Cubs: 5 players who should already be on the trade block
By Tim Boyle
Cubs closer David Robertson is on a redemption tour and should be traded
Once again assuming the Cubs aren’t trade deadline buyers, David Robertson should be a guy we expect them to shop around to the rest of the league. Robertson is on a redemption tour after injuries stole away most of the last three seasons. He pitched only 6.2 innings for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019, none in 2020, and returned with 12 more frames for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. Anointed as the man in the ninth for the Cubbies in 2022, he has been off to a fine start thus far.
Relief pitchers are often the toughest to predict from year-to-year. A guy like Robertson—whose best days are well in the past now—is more difficult to understand than most. If you hadn’t been following the Cubs or any of the teams he has pitched against this season, you might not have even realized he was still around.
Robertson managed to secure a one-year deal with the Cubs after the lockout for $3.5 million. A salary any team could afford for a pitcher with his capabilities, look for him to become one of the options closer-needy teams explore. Beyond that, he could simply just go back to being a setup man where he had plenty of success during his peak seasons.