Crimson Tide Alum David Robertson Traded to Phillies
David Robertson is back in the City of Brotherly Love.
The veteran former Alabama pitcher was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. The acquisition of Robertson, one of the better relievers on the trade block, is a step by the Phils to dramatically improve a bullpen that has struggled to help them win games since the club emerged from its rebuilding phase.
In 2022, Robertson is 3-0 with a 2.23 ERA across 36 games. He has 14 saves and 51 strikeouts. The Cubs are in the midst of a rebuild and sit at 41-60. The Phillies, meanwhile, are 55-47 and looking to make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
Robertson spent the 2019 season in Philly but missed the majority of the campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He didn't play in the shortened 2020 season and was not re-signed by the team. In total, he has appeared in seven games in a Phillies uniform.
He joined the Cubs this past offseason in a post-lockout signing. In June, he took his first MLB at-bat during a game against Pittsburgh. He also had an abbreviated 2021, signing with Tampa Bay only after competing in the Olympics.
Robertson's last fully played season with one team was in 2018 with the New York Yankees, the team which drafted him out of Alabama in 2006. He has the most Major League experience of any former Alabama player in the big leagues. He has appeared in 709 games since his debut for the Yankees in 2008.