Jordan Romano - Relief Pitcher
All-star closer Jordan Romano signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason after six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Aside from his 2024 season, which saw his ERA balloon to 6.59, from 2020 - 2023, Romano was one of the best closers in Major League Baseball. During that period, Jordan made two American-League All-Star appearances, in 2022 and 2023, and averaged 24 saves a season with a 2.09 ERA.
The flier that the Phillies took to sign Romano has yet to pan out. Through the team’s first nine matchups, Jordan has appeared in five games while giving up seven runs in four innings with a 15.75 ERA. Recently, Romano spoke to reporters about his poor performance to start the season:
"I'm used to being 96, around there the whole time. I don't know what's going on right now but I need to figure it out. I've got to get the velo up because when the velo's right, it helps the slider too. When the velo's down, it's easier to take the slider. I'm going to look at some video, try to dive in and figure this out really quick. On any team, you want to come in and contribute to wins. When you don't do that, it doesn't feel good."Jordan Romano
The Phils signed Romano to be their top late-inning reliever to replace Jeff Hoffman who signed a 3-year, $33 Million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays during the offseason. This swap of relievers may come back to bite the Phillies if Romano does not get back to his former self, and if he cannot find his 2020-2023 self, he may be out of Philadelphia sooner rather than later.