Old friend joins a top NL foe and could play spoiler in the Cubs' October dream

All offseason long, speculation swirled around veteran right-hander David Robertson, who was coming off a stellar 2.65 FIP across 72 appearances in his age 39 season. The Chicago Cubs, among countless other teams, were viewed as potential fits. But as the offseason wore on, Robertson remained unsigned - and that remained the case until this weekend.

Robertson signed with a former team - no, not the Cubs - returning to Philadelphia on a one-year, $16 million deal that will pay him just over $6 million for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. The Phillies, widely viewed as a top National League pennant contender, have been connected to several of the top relievers on the trade market, so seeing them pick up Robertson comes as no surprise.

Entering Monday, Philadelphia relievers rank 23rd in baseball with a 4.33 ERA and 24th with a 1.36 WHIP. That contrasts to the starting rotation's 3.39 ERA that only narrowly trails the New York Mets for tops in the National League - laying bare what the front office needs to accomplish in the next week-plus.

This reunion marks his third stint with the team. His first go-round didn't exactly go as either side had hoped, with Robertson requiring Tommy John surgery that limited him to just seven appearances over the course of a two-year, $23 million pact from 2019-20.

Cubs, Phillies came together on a David Robertson trade in 2022

He returned to the Phillies ahead of the 2022 trade deadline when the rebuilding Cubs capitalized on his strong first half (2.23 ERA in 36 appearances), flipping him to Philadelphia in exchange for pitching prospect Ben Brown. Robertson played a key role for the team down the stretch, helping the Phillies advance to the World Series, where they fell to the Houston Astros in six games.

The jury is still out on Brown, who has struggled to find consistency at the big-league level, but the return was widely viewed as very strong for Chicago and its president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer given Robertson was an aging rental.

With several members of its longstanding core poised to hit free agency at the end of the year, everyone expects Dave Dombrowski to push his chips in as he looks to bring a championship back to Philly for the first time since 2008. The team has already been connected to some of the biggest names on the market, including resurgent Pirates closer David Bednar, and no one would be surprised if he continues to address a major area of need on this roster.

The Cubs could also look for bullpen help, but seem to have more pressing needs - including top-of-the-rotation arms and rounding out the third base and bench picture. But with their eye set on a deep October run, seeing a top contender like the Phillies shoring up their one glaring weakness is certainly worth paying attention to.