Cubs trade closer David Robertson to Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
David Robertson is going back to his old team, and it's not the Yankees.
The Cubs traded Robertson to the Phillies for minor-league right-hander Ben Brown on Tuesday.
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Robertson, 37, has had a rebound 2022 season after missing time in recent years following elbow surgery.
After signing a one-year deal with the Cubs in March, he's posted a 2.23 ERA in 36 appearances while converting 14 of 19 save chances.
Robertson discussed the possibility of being traded last weekend in San Francisco.
Chicago Baseball
“I can’t thank the Cubs enough and will continue to play hard while I’m a Cub,” Robertson said. “I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve had a great time.”
Robertson signed a two-year deal with the Phillies before 2019 but only made seven appearances before the elbow injury sidelined him until late last season.
Brown is the second power starting pitching prospect the Cubs acquired before the deadline after landing Hayden Wesneski from the Yankees for Scott Effross.
"We tried to add power arms in every deal. That was the biggest focus," Cubs president Jed Hoyer said. "Those are guys we had targeted."
Brown, 23 next month, was the Phillies' 33rd-round pick in 2017. MLB Pipeline ranked him Philadelphia's No. 26 prospect, while Baseball America had him at No. 7.
He underwent Tommy John in 2019, his first year of full-season ball, after just 13 2/3 innings, and is having a good 2022.
But Brown has come back strong since that injury. He's 3-5 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 73 innings across 16 games (15 starts) in High-A this season and was promoted to Double-A this week before the trade.
Brown, who's 6-foot-6, wields a fastball in the 95-98 mph range with a 90-mph slider and 84-87 mph curveball, according to Pipeline.
"I'm looking forward to getting all those guys in Cubs uniforms at various levels," Hoyer said. "We'll sit down with player development, talk through their plans and where we want to go with them."
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