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Former Blue Jay Jordan Romano DFA’d by Angels
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Photo credit: © William Liang-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 26, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 26, 2026, 16:18 EDT
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A former Toronto Blue Jay has been released.
On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Angels announced that Canadian right-handed reliever Jordan Romano has been released. They also released another former Blue Jay, though one a lot less notable, Shaun Anderson.
Romano’s Angel tenure started off quite well. Over his first six outings, the Markham, Ontario product didn’t give up a home run in five innings of work. He issued two walks, but struck out seven, giving him a 1.55 FIP. He didn’t pitch for a week, and once he returned, Romano struggled.
In his April 13th outing against the New York Yankees, Romano gave up three earned runs thanks to two walks and a home run, failing to get an out. Two days later, he got one out against the Yankees, but gave up two earned runs. Though his next two outings, including one against the Blue Jays, were scoreless, he allowed three hits in those two innings while striking out five.
His final outing as an Angel came on Saturday, where Romano gave up four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. This has continued a notable downward trend for the 33-year-old righty. 
From 2020 until 2023, Romano was one of the best relievers in Major League Baseball, posting a 2.29 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 200.2 innings pitched, with a 30.8 K% and 9.2 BB%. In that span, his 97 saves were the fifth most in MLB, behind Kenley Jansen’s 199, Josh Hader’s 116, Enmanuel Clase’s 110, and Ryan Pressly’s 102. Of the four other closers, Romano’s 12 blown saves were the fewest. He also picked up 14 holds in that time.
Romano, like a lot of Blue Jays, struggled with injuries in 2024. He appeared in just 15 games with his hometown team, authoring a 6.59 ERA and 6.17 FIP in 13.2 innings pitched. His K% noticeably dipped as well, going from a 29 K% in 2023 to just a 21 K% in 2024. In early July, Romano underwent surgery and never pitched for the Blue Jays again, as he was non-tendered early into the 2024/25 off-season.
The righty joined the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies for the 2025 season. Over 49 outings, he posted a dismal 8.23 ERA and 5.39 FIP in 42.2 innings pitched. His K% jumped back up to 25.1%, but walked 9.1% of the batters. Romano also blew three of his 11 save opportunities.
Although two former Blue Jays were DFA’d by the Angels, they still have a few more of them on their roster. Alek Manoah is on the injured list, Yusei Kikuchi is off to a tough start, and Nick Sandlin is in their rotation.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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