Tigers should swoop in under former GM’s nose for high-leverage bullpen addition

The Phillies were dealt a nasty blow this week, when closer Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80 games (and disqualified from the postseason) after failing a performance-enhancing drug test. Former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and Philadelphia's front office have been scrambling to make up for the loss, and MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported that they made calls to free agent reliever David Robertson before the suspension was public.

It's kind of a wonder that Robertson has remained a free agent this long after he had a very good one-year stint with the Rangers in 2024 (3.00 ERA over 72 innings with 99 strikeouts). The Tigers even expressed interest in the offseason before signing Tommy Kahnle and John Brebbia.

Kahnle has been relatively solid as a setup man and occasional closer this year, but things have looked dicier in a few of his last appearances. The Tigers do have Will Vest, who's been absolutely dominant and has a 0.00 ERA in May, but they need at least one more back-end reliever to really fortify the bullpen.

Maybe the Tigers should revisit their interest in Robertson and swipe him from right under Dombrowski's nose before the Phillies can make any moves here.

Tigers could revisit interest in free agent reliever David Robertson

If Robertson remains unsigned, his market could become competitive around the deadline, if teams looking to shore up their bullpens can't make anything happen on the trade front. The Tigers could cut through that noise entirely by trying to pluck him out of free agency right now. Jason Foley could've been an option for later in the year after being demoted to Triple-A to start the season, but his season-ending shoulder surgery killed any hopes of a comeback.

Robertson stayed healthy through all of last year (his age-39 season), and his 3.00 ERA lined up pretty perfectly with his 2.90 career ERA going into 2024. He's still solid and hasn't announced an intention to retire, which makes it even more perplexing that he hasn't been signed yet. His age could be a worrisome factor, but he's had a clean bill of health since 2022.

The Phillies probably need Robertson more than the Tigers given Alvarado's suspension, but if they want their early success to prove sustainable, it wouldn't hurt to give themselves a little reassurance, and Robertson could be a solution.