Romano to sign with Phillies
Former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) is in agreement on a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, pending a physical.
December 9, 2024
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano has agreed to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, pending a physical, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
It’s a one-year deal “above his projected arbitration number of $7.75M,” added Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins had told Toronto baseball writers at a meeting last Tuesday that though he non-tendered Romano (Markham, Ont.) on November 22, which made the reliever a free agent, he would still be “heavily pursuing” Romano to bring him back.
The two-time All-Star closer registered eight saves in 15 appearances in 2024 before undergoing elbow surgery in early June.
On April 22, he pitched the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals in a 5-3 win to record his 100th career save. With that, he became just the fourth Canadian and fifth Blue Jay to reach that milestone.
In 59 games in 2023, Romano matched his career-high with 36 saves. The hard-throwing right-hander also had 36 saves in 2022. In his three full seasons as Blue Jays closer, his ERA was never higher than 2.90.
Originally chosen in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Blue Jays in 2014, the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum has pitched in six major league seasons.