Cubs Sign Righty Reliever David Robertson

In their never-ending quest for bullpen depth, the Cubs have signed reliever David Robertson to a one-year deal. The veteran righty will turn 37 in early April and has only pitched 18.2 innings over the last three seasons due to Tommy John surgery in 2019 and a setback during recovery the following year.

Robertson debuted with the Yankees in 2008 and has since spent time with the White Sox, Yankees again, Phillies, and Rays. His only big league start came last season when he served as the opener for Tampa on September 24, but he still went just one inning.

Despite relatively low fastball velocity that has hovered around 92 mph his whole career, Robertson has always gotten big strikeout numbers due to the effectiveness of his cutter. He’s typically done a good job of keeping the ball in the yard and he’s been around long enough that he could serve as a steadying force in the bullpen.

And who knows, putting so little mileage on his arm since 2019 — when he threw 69.2 innings over 69 appearances for the Yankees — might be a good thing.