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Former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano adds to the depth of the Phillies bullpen
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Photo credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Prasad
Dec 11, 2024, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 10, 2024, 21:27 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays have officially lost their closer. Right-handed reliever Jordan Romano has signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Romano was non-tendered by the Blue Jays in November, sending him into free agency for the first time in his career. 
It’s assumed that Toronto’s choice to not re-sign Romano boiled down to his elbow and to save some money towards the Juan Soto bid, as well as the constraints that come with presenting a contract to players under arbitration. While the Blue Jays had stated their intentions of a possible reunion, Romano takes his talents to the NL East and earns a modest bump over his arbitration values. 
All that has happened in this scenario was the Blue Jays continue lacking a bonafide closer and Romano being compensated more with another squad. The ex-Blue Jay gets $8.5 million with a reportedly $500,000 bonus if he records 60 innings. This number beats his projected arbitration by $750,000 up-front with an incentive for more. 
The Blue Jays had doubts about the returning Romano’s health, after surgery and an uncertain quality of closer. On the other hand, Philadelphia is taking a chance on Romano returning back to the same form that made him a top bullpen arm in the league over the past few seasons. 

The Phillies upgraded the closer role by signing Romano

The Phillies produced a strong ball club in 2024, going 95-67, winning the division and making it to the postseason. The 2024 National League East Champions took a quick exit in the NLDS, losing to their division rivals, the New York Mets. 
Despite the postseason failure, the Phillies possess a competitive group of players and project to go on a run in 2025. Like other teams, they have some cavities to fill, and some areas to enhance. The closer role was one of their main targets heading into the winter.
José Alvarado was the Phillies show-stopper in 2024. The lefty simply did not cut it for the Phillies. A team of that calibre with an expectation to win could not rely on Alvarado to close games as he struggled to find his 2023 form. The southpaw could be a good mid-reliever, but his stuff was not closer-worthy last year. The Phillies also leaned on Jeff Hoffman for ten saves but he is currently a free agent. 
Alvarado sat 28th in the league in terms of saves, recording a 2-5 record with 13 saves, blowing three of them and posting a 6.19 ERA on the year. He worked 61 2/3 innings total, striking out 63 batters and walking 28. His three-pitch mix sees a cutter, curveball, and a heating sinker up to 98 mph. 
Alvarado’s command is in line with other closer types however his stuff is hittable, and his velocity has dropped 0.7% this year compared to previous years. The 29-year-old may not be suited for the role much longer. 

Romano Needs to Stay Healthy

The health aspect was easily Toronto’s biggest concern with Romano. He’s already been through Tommy John and the multiple elbow injuries last year limited him to just 15 appearances for Toronto in 2024. His recent surgery was the most concerning one, and the club did not see the value in the risk and was limited under the CBA for how much they could tender him in arbitration. 
Philadelphia understands that risk. Romano pitched 13 and 2/3 innings in 2024 and 59 innings the year before, tacking on 36 saves. He added 36 saves in 2022 as well and is poised to keep climbing up the Canadian-born saves leaderboard this season. 
Alvarado gets paid $4.5 million in 2025. If Romano pitches at least 60 innings, the Phillies get a return on investment for that one-year deal, and Romano tacks on an extra half-a-million to his earnings. 

The Phillies New Closer: What He Offers 

With full health restored and being back to full performance levels, Romano is setting himself up for a big campaign. His biggest struggle may be command, as he sports a 3.4 BB/9 over his career and struggled with walks at times in 2023. However, when Romano is on, he’s on. The righty only offers two options: a four-seam fastball and a slider. 
His fastball sits around 96-97 mph and has hit triple-digits on occasion. How the most recent surgery will affect this velocity is unknown. His heater is spotty but when commanded well, he blows it by guys with bite and the ability to lift it above the eye levels, especially if opponents are sitting on his slider. Romano’s only other option is his ride or die. The slider values a 33.3% put-away rate in 2024, higher than the fastball. It held a 28.9% in 2023, which was also higher than the fastball. The slider has a 39.7-inch vertical drop with a 2.3-inch horizontal arm-side dart. It is late moving and hitters are late to make contact. Contact is usually weak and produces weak ground balls. 
Overall, health will be the determining factor for the Markham, Ont. product. A one-year deal was the safe move for Philadelphia while also making the bullpen a lot stronger, especially if Romano returns to his 2023 form. In return, Romano gets a chance to prove he can be the elite closer fans in Toronto have known him to be and set himself up for a nice payday next winter. 

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