Jordan Romano didn’t really want to be a free agent.
A Markham, Ontario, native, Romano was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 2014 draft. He was a Canadian who spent almost his entire career with the only Canadian franchise in Major League Baseball, except for a short spring training stint in 2018 with Texas, who had selected Romano in the Rule 5 Draft but eventually returned him to the Blue Jays.
So Romano wasn’t feeling very thankful when he was non-tendered by Toronto a few days before Thanksgiving in 2024.
“I try not to think about it too much anymore,” Romano said. “It was an awesome time there, enjoyed my time, and now I’m just looking forward. You always think you’re going to play with [one] team your whole career but that’s rarely how it goes. This is usually how it goes.”
For the Philadelphia Phillies, signing the former All-Star closer to a one-year, $8.5 million deal a few weeks later was among the easiest decisions they could make.
“He’s one of the best back-end, high-leverage guys in baseball,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.
Jordan Romano Was Two-Time All-Star Closer With Toronto
GettyNew Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jordan Romano was a two-time All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays.
From 2021-23, Romano posted a 2.37 ERA, saved 95 games and was twice named to the American League All-Star team. But in 2024, Romano posted a 6.59 ERA with eight saves in 15 games before he was put on the injured list in June with elbow inflammation.
Romano would have season-ending elbow surgery in July, and Toronto decided to let him walk rather than pay what would have likely been an arbitration award of about $7.75 million. So Romano went to work on drawing interest from other teams.
“I threw a bullpen [on Dec. 6] and it went really well,” said Romano. “It was probably the hardest I’ve thrown in a first bullpen in my life. I was really pleased with it. We sent that data off to all the teams that were interested.”
And the Phillies quickly jumped on the opportunity.
“It’s pretty shocking that he was available on the free agent market,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “With how much success he’s had and the track record he had in big spots, being a closer and having great seasons, it’s pretty surprising that after one year of being injured and not having the season he wanted to [that Romano was let go].”
Jordan Romano ‘Feels Like My Old Self’ During Spring With Phillies
But Toronto’s loss is Philadelphia’s gain. Through his nine appearances in spring training games, Romano, who turns 32 on April 21, has given up no runs and a 0.69 WHIP while striking out eight in 8.2 innings.
“It feels like my old self,” said Romano, who had been experiencing the elbow issues since the end of the 2023 season. “I’m able to do a lot more this year just with the arm. I’m able to throw a lot more, work on my pitches a lot more without it barking and feeling bad … just perfect the craft whereas last year I couldn’t really do that. It was really tough.”
Now, Romano finds himself a key part of a “really tough” bullpen, along with Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering, that should be among the best in baseball.
“It’s really hard to not be excited,” Kerkering said. “It’s really cool to see.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Unexpected Free Agent Gives Phillies an All-Star Boost appeared first on Heavy Sports.