Philadelphia Phillies: 3 closer candidates to trade for

3. Philadelphia Phillies closer trade candidate: A reunion with David Robertson.

There are a couple of closers out there on bad teams but many of them are younger, cheaper, and likely not getting moved. This isn’t the case for David Robertson. Once a member of the Phillies for only 7 games in 2019, it was while with Philadelphia his career took a turn of the worst. Robertson pitched only 6.2 innings from 2019-2020 due to an injury and came back with only a dozen more last year with the Tampa Bay Rays.

This year, Robertson looks like his vintage self again. He’s with the Chicago Cubs closing out games regularly—or at least the ones they have a chance to win with a save opportunity attached. He has been one of the best closers early on this season. If only the Cubs had any starting pitching and better offense, his saves might have a lot more meaning.

Robertson’s tenure with the Phillies was hugely disappointing because of the injury that stole away what could have been a promising stint in the twilight of his career. It would be a great Philadelphia sports story for him to come back at this year’s trade deadline, save the bullpen, and get the final three outs.

There’s a far greater chance the Phillies acquire Bard instead. Robertson has a much lengthier resume of success so the cost would probably be slightly more and possibly out-of-reach for the depleted Phillies’ farm system.

For now, the Phillies will continue to give those final outs to Knebel, Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand, Seranthony Dominguez, and anyone else Thompson believes in on any given day. Regardless of how they work, the Phillies should be in the market for a reliever – whether he ever gets a save for them or not.