The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Tuesday that they have traded for veteran pitcher David Robertson from the Chicago Cubs. They sent prospect Ben Brown in return to the Cubs.
During Spring Training, the pitcher agreed to a one-year, $3.5M contract with Chicago. Robertson pitched 40 1/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball, striking out over 30% of opposing batters and inducing ground balls at an above-average rate of 48.3 percent this season.
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Prospect Ben Brown has pitched in 16 minor-league games, recording a 3.08 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 105 strikeouts in 73.0 innings this season. Brown, 22, was drafted in the 33rd round in 2017.
At the end of the season, Robertson will be a free agent. He has a base salary of $3,500,000 and is on track to complete all of his incentives (including a $100,000 trade bonus), bringing his total salary to $5.1MM with the Cubs.
Robertson is a former All-star, a nod he received in the year 2011. He has also won a World Series title in 2009 with the New York Yankees. This was his second year in the league. Robertson has played for 5 teams in his 14-year-long career.
He made his league debut for the Yankees and played with team for six seasons. As a free agent in 2014, he signed a four-year $46 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. He also won the gold medal with Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
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After the end of the 2017 season, he returned to the Yankees for 2 seasons. Later, as a free agent, he agreed to a two-year $23 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, which included a $12 million-third year option and a $2 million buyout. He subsequently signed one-year deals with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs before returning to the Phillies in 2022.