Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Phillies Rumors

Phillies Acquire Brewer Hicklen, Designate Ryan Cusick

By | at

The Phillies announced a trade with the Tigers that will see outfielder Brewer Hicklen head to Philadelphia in exchange for cash considerations.  In the corresponding roster move, the Phils designated right-hander Ryan Cusick for assignment.

Hicklen was designated for assignment by Detroit earlier this week, and he’ll now head to the Phillies for the second time in his career.  Philadelphia previously acquired Hicklen back in August 2023 in a trade with the Royals, and the outfielder didn’t get any MLB playing time before becoming a minor league agent following the season.  Hicklen signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in November 2023, and the novelty of Brewer playing for the Brewers lasted until this past March, when the Brewers designated him for assignment and the Tigers acquired Hicklen in another cash trade off the waiver wire.

Hicklen has appeared in 10 MLB games (with 17 plate appearances) over parts of three seasons, including a single game with Detroit this year.  He has a .242/.351/.466 slash line over 1598 career PA at the Triple-A level, though his output at Triple-A Toledo (.227/.335/.394 in 254 PA) has been more modest in 2025.  A heavy dose of strikeouts has limited Hicklen’s offensive output over his career, though speed is his primary calling card, with 118 steals to show for 129 attempts in the minors.

Between that baserunning prowess and his ability to play all three outfield positions, Hicklen is an interesting depth piece for the Phillies to stash at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  He has appeal as a pinch-running bench specialist for the stretch run or during the playoffs, and Hicklen could be a replacement in Lehigh Valley if top prospect Justin Crawford gets the call to the majors in the near future.  The Phillies are known to be looking for outfield help at the trade deadline, but they could address that need from within by giving Crawford his first crack at the Show.

Cusick has now been designated four times in the last two months, and the three previous trips to DFA limbo resulted in Cusick changing teams on waiver claims.  Beginning the season on the Athletics’ roster, Cusick went from the A’s to the Tigers to the White Sox to the Phillies, with the right-hander’s arrival in Philadelphia coming in early June.  Through it all, Cusick has a 7.99 ERA over 23 2/3 combined minor league innings in 2025, so his frequent roster changes might well be having an impact on his performance.

Selected 24th overall by the Braves in the 2021 draft, Cusick went to the A’s as part of the Matt Olson trade package.  He is still awaiting his MLB debut after amassing a 5.40 ERA over 246 2/3 minor league innings, as Cusick has been hampered by some severe control issues.  Past history suggests he could again get claimed by another team looking for bullpen depth, and Cusick’s first-round pedigree is recent enough that he might still have some late-bloomer appeal.

Padres, Phillies Showing Interest In Steven Kwan

By | at

The Phillies and Padres are two of the many teams that have expressed interest in Steven Kwan, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Both National League contenders are known to be looking for a left field upgrade.

Kwan would be one of the top hitters on the market if the Guardians made him available. Heyman suggests that Cleveland is willing to consider offers but are understandably setting a high asking price. ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote on Tuesday that the Guardians are unlikely to pull the trigger on a Kwan trade. The two-time All-Star is under arbitration control for another two seasons. He’s playing this year on a bargain $4.175MM salary.

Phillies left fielders are hitting .190/.302/.339. Most of that falls on offseason signee Max Kepler, who has not performed as expected on a $10MM deal. Kepler carries a .207/.305/.372 slash with 11 home runs in 328 plate appearances. He has also expressed some frustration about the Phils shielding him from left-handed pitching, though it’s not as if he has forced his way into the lineup with his production. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Phillies tried to move Kepler in a change-of-scenery trade.

That might happen even if the Phils can’t land a bigger bat. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski shed some light on the team’s thought process with outfield prospect Justin Crawford on Monday (link via Matt Gelb of The Athletic). Dombrowski indicated that the 21-year-old Crawford, who is hitting .326/.406/.424 with 29 stolen bases in Triple-A, is on the radar for an MLB promotion. That might wait until after the deadline, however, as the Phils don’t want to call Crawford up only to option him back to the minors if they trade for an everyday outfielder.

“The one thing, if you’re bringing Justin Crawford up at this point, he needs to play,” Dombrowski told reporters. “So that’s the main thing. So we need to kind of just sort out our own situation here and see when he comes up that he’s going to be a guy that’s playing all the time.” Crawford could theoretically push Brandon Marsh out of center field even if the Phils were to acquire a left fielder. There’d be a clearer path to plugging him into left while pushing Kepler to the bench or off the roster entirely if they don’t land an external upgrade.

San Diego planned to open the season with a Jason Heyward/Connor Joe left field platoon. Neither player made it on the roster through the end of June. Gavin Sheets has taken over as the left fielder. The lefty-hitting Sheets has had a strong year at the dish, batting .257/.319/.433 with 14 homers. He has hit a skid this month, though, and he profiles better defensively at first base or designated hitter.

Kwan is one of the best all-around left fielders in the sport. He has won the Gold Glove in each of his first three big league seasons. He’s been an average or better hitter in each year, including a .285/.348/.393 slash in 415 plate appearances this season. Kwan has walked more often than he has struck out in each of the past two seasons. He doesn’t have huge power but has the high-OBP skillset that makes him an ideal leadoff hitter.

As a small-market club, Cleveland tends to be broadly open to considering offers on any player aside from José Ramírez. Each of Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith and Shane Bieber have come up in trade rumors as well. They’re certainly not locked into selling, however. The Guardians have won three straight and eight of their past 10 to climb back to .500. They’re within 2.5 games of a Wild Card position pending tonight’s results. They have two more games against the Orioles before heading to Kansas City for a weekend series. They’ll host the Rockies for three in their final set before the deadline.

MLBTR Podcast: David Robertson, Trade Chips For The O’s and A’s, And What The Rangers Could Do

By | at

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What about a Duran Duran trade? Jarren Duran of the Red Sox for Jhoan Durán of the Twins? (29:55)
  • Should the Angels be buying? (37:30)
  • If the Cardinals are sellers, who should be untouchable? (44:50)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Rays’ Ownership, The Phillies Target Bullpen Help, And Bubble Teams – listen here
  • Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up – listen here
  • Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More! – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Draft Signings: Wood, Fauske, Moss, Hartshorn

By | at

Tuesday featured a handful of draft signings with a $2MM+ bonus. All signings were first reported by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted. View pre-draft scouting reports from Baseball America, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Keith Law of The Athletic.

  • The Phillies announced the signing of 26th overall pick Gage Wood. Callis reports that the University of Arkansas product received a $3MM signing bonus that comes in a little south of the approximate $3.49MM slot value. Wood, a 6’0″ right-handed pitcher, is most famous for throwing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State in this year’s College World Series. Wood pitched out of the bullpen for his first two seasons in Fayetteville. A shoulder injury limited him to 37 2/3 innings during his only year as a starter. He struck out 69 hitters with a 3.82 ERA. Evaluators credit Wood with a fastball that can touch 98 MPH and has huge life at the top of the strike zone, while he has an above-average to plus curveball. His injury history and the lack of a present third pitch leave some scouts to point to a bullpen future.
  • The White Sox have a $3MM deal with second-round pick Jaden Fauske, as first reported by James Fox of Future Sox. The bonus for the Illinois prep outfielder comes in a good amount above the $2.22MM slot value of the 44th selection, signing him away from an LSU commitment. Fauske is listed at 6’3″ and has a well-rounded skillset and a lefty swing that impresses evaluators. He’s viewed as a slightly above-average runner and probably projects to a corner outfield spot.
  • The Rays went above slot to sign supplemental second-rounder Dean Moss to a $2.1MM bonus, Callis reports. He’s a Florida prep outfielder who’d also been committed to LSU. The 67th overall pick comes with a slot value around $1.29MM. Moss is a left-handed batter whose carrying trait is his advanced hit tool. He’s viewed as an average runner who’d be stretched in center field but doesn’t have prototypical power for a corner outfielder.
  • The Cubs signed sixth-round pick Josiah Hartshorn to a $2MM bonus that represents the highest ever for that round, Callis reports. The slot value was around $355K. Hartshorn is a high schooler from California. He’s a 6’2″ switch-hitter who projects as a corner outfielder. Most pre-draft reports had him outside the top 100, but ESPN placed him as the #53 prospect in the class. The Cubs were able to sign him away from a Texas A&M commitment in large part because they saved roughly $1.2MM against their bonus pool with an underslot deal for first-round pick Ethan Conrad.

Poll: Will David Robertson Be Enough For The Phillies’ Bullpen?

By | at

The Phillies agreed to a one-year deal with veteran closer David Robertson yesterday and will pay him the prorated portion of a one-year, $16MM contract to step into their bullpen down the stretch. Clubs around the game balked at the 40-year-old’s asking price in free agency over the offseason, but with the trade deadline looming, teams began to circle back as they now viewed Robertson as a way to upgrade their roster without surrendering prospect capital.

It’s not hard to see why the Phillies would find Robertson attractive. Philadelphia’s bullpen was a major strength last year but they entered 2025 with a significantly weaker group after both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez departed for the AL via free agency. Offseason addition Jordan Romano has an ugly 6.88 ERA across 39 appearances in a Phillies uniform after being added to serve as the club’s closer. Jose Alvarado’s excellent start to the 2025 season was shut down abruptly when he tested positive for PEDs. That resulted in an 80-game suspension and also leaves him ineligible for the postseason, meaning the Phils would have had to rely on Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering as their back-end tandem in the playoffs this year. Both are impressive relievers in the midst of solid seasons, but neither profiles as a true shutdown closer.

Robertson can offer that sort of pedigree. A veteran of 16 MLB seasons who first got his start back in 2008 as a member of the Yankees, Robertson has collected 177 saves in his career with a 2.91 ERA and 2.94 FIP. His work in his late thirties was somehow even more impressive, as he posted a 2.82 ERA with 40 saves, a 3.24 FIP and a 31.1% strikeout rate across his age-37, -38, and -39 campaigns in the last three years. Last season’s campaign with the Rangers saw him look as sturdy as ever; he struck out 33.4% of his opponents while pitching to a 3.00 ERA and 2.65 FIP in a setup role for closer Kirby Yates. Those are the numbers of a star reliever, the sort of player who can anchor a pitching staff in the postseason, and exactly the sort of player the Phillies need right now.

With that being said, the addition is not one that comes without risk. No pitcher on the wrong side of his 40th birthday is a slam-dunk to repeat his prior performance, and while Robertson could still be an excellent late-inning reliever even if he took a step back this year, it’s worth wondering how much he’ll be able to offer. Perhaps taking the first half off will allow Robertson to pitch like a younger man down the stretch and into the postseason, but there’s plenty of examples of pitchers who have struggled following an extended layoff.

That’s even more true when it comes to generally healthy players who miss Spring Training and don’t get a proper ramp-up for contractual reasons. Likely future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel had one of the worst seasons of his career as a member of the Cubs back in 2019 when he waited until after the draft in June to sign so he wouldn’t be attached to draft pick compensation. Just this year, stalwart veteran Kyle Gibson surrendered 23 runs in four starts for the Orioles after signing during the season and requiring an accelerated ramp-up process. Perhaps some of those woes can be avoided by giving Robertson plenty of time to prepare in the minor leagues, but any time he spends ramping up is time the big league club will have to spend without a much-needed closing option.

Between a potentially lengthy ramp-up and the uncertainty surrounding any midseason signing, should the Phillies continue to be aggressive about adding to their bullpen over the coming days? They waited long enough to sign Robertson that he surely won’t be in Philadelphia ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, so any acquisition they make will have to happen before they have full information on Robertson’s readiness to face big league pitching. The price of late-inning relief pitching figures to be exorbitant this summer with so few true sellers, and a recent injury to Alec Bohm in conjunction with the struggles faced by Max Kepler and Johan Rojas this year leave the Phillies in need of another bat this summer as well.

Any resources dedicated to adding additional relief help would limit the resources available to add another bat at third base or in the outfield, so it’s fair to wonder if president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski would be best served hoping Robertson can lock down the ninth and focusing on the offense. On the other hand, a number of key players (Ranger Suarez, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto) are all ticketed for free agency after the 2025 season. This year could be Philadelphia’s best shot at winning a World Series with this core of players, and hinging those aspirations on a question mark in the ninth inning could be hard to stomach for fans.

How do MLBTR readers think Philadelphia should approach the deadline with Robertson now in the fold? Should they consider the bullpen more or less settled and prioritize adding offense, or is Robertson too much of a risk to count on? Have your say in the poll below:

Phillies Sign David Robertson

By | at

July 21: The Phillies announced that they’ve signed Robertson to a one-year deal. He’s consented to be optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’ll ramp up in preparation for his 2025 debut.

July 20: The Phillies and free agent reliever David Robertson are in agreement on a major league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The self-represented Robertson did not sign with a team over the winter but has stayed in shape and has been throwing for interested clubs recently. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that Robertson will be paid a prorated $16MM salary for the remainder of the season. That comes out to just over $6MM through season’s end ($6.021MM — assuming it becomes official tomorrow).

This is Robertson’s second free-agent deal with the Phillies and the third time overall that the Phils have acquired him. He inked a two-year, $23MM deal in the 2018-19 offseason that didn’t wind up paying off for the team, as the typically durable reliever wound up requiring Tommy John surgery and pitching only 6 2/3 total innings during the life of that contract. Philadelphia reacquired the righty in a 2022 trade that sent young righty Ben Brown back to the Cubs, and Robertson was excellent as the Phillies mounted a charge all the way to the World Series.

That Tommy John procedure came during Robertson’s age-34 season, and he didn’t return to a big league mound until the 2021 campaign. He’s emphatically silenced any concerns about his ability to restore his status as a high-end reliever. He’s now pitched 200 games and logged a 2.92 in 213 regular season innings since undergoing surgery. That includes a terrific 2024 season in Texas, where Robertson pitched 72 innings with a 3.00 ERA, a 33.4% strikeout rate, a 9.1% walk rate, two saves and 34 holds as the primary setup option to Kirby Yates.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was candid earlier this month in calling out bullpen help as his primary focus at this year’s trade deadline. Robertson is a potential major addition who helps on multiple levels. He’s obviously a decorated high-leverage arm coming off a strong season, and adding the lone marquee reliever on the free-agent market leaves the Phillies’ farm system intact as they look to pursue other bullpen upgrades. Beyond that, Robertson is a fresh arm who’s no stranger to pitching in the postseason — a key component for a Phillies club who lost lefty Jose Alvarado to an 80-game PED suspension earlier this year that renders him ineligible to pitch in the playoffs.

On the season, Philadelphia relievers rank 23rd with a 4.36 ERA. They’ve been better over the past month (3.89 ERA) but still have a top-heavy unit that’s been anchored by Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks and Orion Kerkering doing a disproportionate level of the heavy lifting. Offseason additions Jordan Romano (7.08 ERA) and Joe Ross (5.31 ERA) haven’t worked out as hoped.

Robertson will likely need a minor league tune-up before he’s ready to join the Phillies’ bullpen. It’s not clear what his precise timeline is, but it stands to reason that both he and Alvarado — eligible to return on Aug. 19 — will both be in the late-inning mix within the next month. The Phillies figure to remain active on the trade market as they look for a second reliever to add to the mix, and they could potentially seek an outfield upgrade as well.

Phillies Place Alec Bohm On 10-Day IL Due To Fractured Rib

By | at

Third baseman Alec Bohm has been placed on the Phillies’ 10-day injured list due to a fractured left rib.  Utilityman Weston Wilson was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

The injury dates back to last Saturday, when Bohm was hit by a pitch during the Phillies’ 5-4 loss to the Padres and had to make an early exit from the game.  Bohm didn’t play in Philadelphia’s final game before the All-Star break and then returned to the lineup in yesterday’s 6-5 loss to the Angels, with the idea that the time off during the break allowed him to recover.

Unfortunately, Bohm reaggravated his injury in the game, manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer).  Bohm didn’t receive any scans last week but it would appear as though new tests revealed the fracture, forcing an IL stint.  More will be probably be revealed about Bohm’s recovery timeline later today, but a fracture almost certainly means he’ll miss more than the minimum 10 days.

After a brutal opening month, Bohm righted the ship and has quietly been one of the more productive bats in the Phils’ lineup, hitting .309/.362/.455 with eight home runs in 257 trips to the plate since May 3.  As per his career norms, Bohm is making a good deal of hard contact and a lot of contact in general (16.2% strikeout rate), though he isn’t walking much and his slugging percentage is significantly down from the last two seasons.  The other story is Bohm’s continued improvement with the glove, as a player once known for being a defensive liability is in the midst of his second straight year of slightly above-average fielding at third base.

Boho also saw some time at first base when Bryce Harper was on the IL, with Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp filling in at third base.  With Bohm now out, the Phillies will likely turn to some combination of Sosa, Kemp, and Wilson at the hot corner, and Kemp will still remain part of the left field platoon with Max Kepler.

Depending on how long Bohm may be out, his injury situation could impact Philadelphia’s plans at the trade deadline.  The Phillies were already known to be looking for outfield help and potentially some more depth at second base since Bryson Stott hasn’t been hitting.  Adding a new outfielder could now conceivably push Kemp into more of a full-time infield role at either second or third base, or the Phils could seek more of a utilityman type that could be toggled around to multiple positions.  Since Bohm himself was linked to several trade rumors during the offseason, his injury might also erase any chance there was of a need-for-need trade, with the Phillies might have moved the controllable Bohm (who has one more arbitration year) for a more high-impact rental player.

Kyle Gibson Announces Retirement

By | at

After parts of 13 seasons in the big leagues, Kyle Gibson is retiring. The longtime MLB starter announced the news on the Serving It Up show this afternoon.

Gibson, 37, has been a free agent since he opted out of a minor league contract with the Rays last month. The veteran righty had pitched very well over four Triple-A starts, but Tampa Bay did not have room in their big league rotation. Gibson said today that he hoped his Triple-A numbers would lead to an immediate MLB opportunity. When that didn’t materialize, he decided to retire. He implied that he received a major league offer a couple weeks later but he and his wife Elizabeth were happy with his decision by that point.

“It has been a lot of fun to be around the family a lot more. … That’s where I ended up a couple weeks ago when it turned out that I wasn’t going to get the opportunity that I was looking for,” Gibson added. “It has been exciting being home and turning the page to a new chapter. I’ve taken the last couple weeks to call and text people who I really wanted to let know (the news) in person. I’m going to take the next few days and try to write something up to properly thank everybody that needs to be thanked for the last 15, 16 years in professional baseball.”

Gibson’s pro career began when he was selected by the Twins in the first round in 2009. A 2011 Tommy John surgery prevented him from making his big league debut until 2013. Gibson made 31 starts the following year, the beginning of his lengthy run as an innings eater. He made at least 25 starts in all six full seasons in Minnesota. Gibson posted a pair of sub-4.00 ERA showings and has his best year in 2018. He turned in a 3.62 earned run average while setting career marks in innings (196 2/3) and strikeouts (179).

A first-time free agent after the 2019 season, Gibson joined the Rangers on a three-year deal that guaranteed $28MM. He struggled in the shortened 2020 campaign but got out to a fantastic first few months a year later. Gibson reeled off a 2.87 ERA in his first 19 starts to earn an All-Star selection. The Rangers were out of contention, so they shipped him alongside Ian Kennedy to the Phillies at the deadline. Gibson spent a season and a half at the back of the Philadelphia rotation. He posted a 5.06 ERA in 43 regular season appearances and was part of the NL’s pennant winning club in 2022. Gibson made one appearance in the Fall Classic, tossing a scoreless inning.

That marked the end of the three-year deal. Gibson would finish his career on a series of one-year contracts. He signed with the Orioles in 2023, posting a 4.73 ERA over 33 starts. He won a career-high 15 games that year and led the 101-win club with 192 innings. A Midwest native who attended the University of Missouri, Gibson chose to pitch close to home in 2024. He signed a $13MM contract with the Cardinals and remained a steady hand at the back of the rotation. He worked to a 4.24 ERA while reaching 30 starts for the fourth consecutive season.

Gibson’s final trip to free agency was not as fruitful. He remained unsigned well into Spring Training. Gibson finally returned to Baltimore on a $5.25MM contract with less than a week until Opening Day. He agreed to spend the first couple weeks of the season building up in Triple-A. The O’s brought him up at the end of April, but opponents teed off for 23 runs across 12 1/3 innings. Baltimore released him after just four MLB starts. That’d prove to be the final work of his big league career, though his professional run concluded with three consecutive scoreless starts for Tampa Bay’s Triple-A club before he triggered the opt-out clause.

Aside from this year’s extremely small sample, Gibson was a consistent and remarkably durable starter. While he never reached the 200-inning mark, he thrice got past 190 frames. Gibson topped 150 innings nine times and had a grand total of three injured list stints in his MLB career. A 2016 shoulder strain was the only injury that cost him more than a month after he reached the big leagues.

Over the 11-year stretch between 2014-24, only Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole topped Gibson’s 1814 2/3 innings. He started 314 games during that time, 16 more than anyone else. Gibson finishes his career with a 4.60 ERA in 1878 frames. He topped 1500 strikeouts and won 112 games. Baseball Reference credited him with roughly 14 wins above replacement, while FanGraphs valued him at 21 WAR. Gibson made 30+ starts for five different teams and earned a little more than $73MM in salary, according to B-Ref. Congratulations to Gibson on an excellent run and all the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of Kim Klement, Imagn Images.

MLBTR Podcast: Rays’ Ownership, The Phillies Target Bullpen Help, And Bubble Teams

By | at

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Which 2025 All-Star hitter and pitcher are most likely to be traded ahead of the deadline? (29:50)
  • Will the Red Sox trade an outfielder to upgrade another part of the roster? Could they get Joe Ryan from the Twins? What should Boston do with Tanner Houck? (36:15)
  • Could the Padres trade Dylan Cease and still compete, the way the Tigers flipped Jack Flaherty and still made the playoffs last year? What will the Friars add at the deadline? (51:50)
  • How will the Mets use Clay Holmes the rest of the way? (59:50)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up – listen here
  • Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More! – listen here
  • The Braves Say They Won’t Sell, Jeimer Candelario DFA’d, And Injured D-Backs – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Mets, Yankees Among Teams To Show Recent Interest In David Robertson

By | at

Free agent reliever David Robertson has been throwing for interested clubs recently, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Two of his former clubs, the Mets and Yankees, have at least looked into the possibility of signing Robertson, per the report. Several other clubs are expected to scout a throwing session for Robertson over the next week or so.

Robertson, who turned 40 in April, hasn’t signed with a team since the 2024 season concluded. The right-hander was one of several notable older veterans who didn’t find offers to his liking in free agency. Lance Lynn encountered a similar situation and opted to retire. J.D. Martinez is unsigned as well and recently received some interest from the Rangers. Robertson’s recent and upcoming showcases for interested teams serve as a notable update on his status, signaling both an intent to play and at least some level of readiness to take the mound.

The lack of a compelling offer for Robertson wasn’t due to any downturn in results. The former All-Star and 16-year MLB veteran was terrific for Texas in 2024, pitching 72 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. Robertson picked up 34 holds and two saves while fanning a huge 33.4% of opponents against a 9.1% walk rate. He averaged 93.3 mph on his go-to cutter, which tied his 2023 mark for the highest of any single season in his career. Robertson’s 11.7% swinging-strike rate was a dip from his 2022-23 levels (13.3%) but right in line with his career 11.8% mark.

Back in April, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Robertson had been seeking a $10MM annual salary in free agency over the winter. He earned $11.5MM with the Rangers last year ($5MM of it deferred). The Phillies also showed some interest in Robertson early in the season, even before Jose Alvarado was hit with an 80-game PED suspension, and they’re known to be on the lookout for bullpen help. It would stand to reason that they’re still interested in a reunion with Robertson themselves.

Presumably, Robertson will be prioritizing a deal with probable contenders. The Yankees, Mets and Phillies all fit that billing and are all among the top eight teams in terms of current playoff odds, per FanGraphs. The Tigers, Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays, Brewers and Mariners are all in extremely favorable postseason position as well, holding at least an 80% postseason chance per the odds at FanGraphs and/or Baseball Prospectus.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top