The Philadelphia Phillies can’t let David Robertson fall to the New York Mets, not at this point in the season. Robertson, who’s been a free agent since the end of last season, has garnered a lot of attention as an additional option to making a trade, according to The Athletic. If Robertson landed in New York, it could spell trouble for the Phillies.
After all, the Mets bullpen has been depleting by the day. They need all the help they can get and will probably need to turn to the trade deadline as well, even if Robertson lands in New York. That's the worst case scenario, though, for Philly. To be safe, they should bring Robertson in themselves and avoid their division rival landing a piece that could help them for a playoff run.
Though Robertson is 40 years old and effectively getting yanked off his couch in a desperate attempt by teams needing bullpen help, he’s a player that could garner a lot of attention, post All-Star Week.
NL East rivals on crash course for David Robertson in desperate need of bullpen help
Though the Phillies and the Mets aren’t the only teams looking at possibly adding Robertson, they’re the most noteworthy as division rivals. The team that gets him seemingly has the leg up the rest of the way. The Phillies have a half-of-a-game lead over the Mets in the NL East division race.
If New York gets to Robertson first, it could be what tips the division title scale in their favor. Crazy enough, Robertson has thrown for both teams before so each has incentive to bring him back as well. Robertson last pitched for Philadelphia in 2022 and played for them in 2019 as well.
He had 29 appearances with 36 strikeouts. He had 2.70 ERA in 2022 in his 22 games and in the seven in 2019, he had 5.40 ERA. While those aren’t eye-popping numbers, they’re enough to make the Phillies interested in running it back.
Robertson last played for the Mets in 2023 and had a 2.07 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 40 appearances. It’s something both teams have to consider. Both teams know what Robertson brings to the table and know how valuable he can be at this time.
Whatever team lands Robertson, it could be the difference in winning the division or not. The team that doesn’t, they could ultimately regret it.