After not finding the contract that he sought in free agency last winter, David Robertson returned home to Rhode Island with unplanned leisure time on his calendar. “I played a lot of tennis,” he said.

A labama baseball alum David Robertson signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 40-year-old was a star pitcher for the Crimson Tide when it won its last SEC regular season title in 2006. He was also named a freshman All-American the year prior.

Once he joins the Phillies, Robertson will begin his 17th season in the majors. He signed a two-year, $23 million free-agent deal with the Phillies in 2019, but appeared in only seven games for them before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Phillies reacquired him in July 2022 in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for right-hander Ben Brown.