When the Philadelphia Phillies opened up the MLB Winter Meetings in December by signing right-hander Jordan Romano, many fans hoped it was the beginning of a busy offseason for the front office. The team has delivered three more moves since then.
Regardless of what president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has done since inking Romano in Dallas, it's hard to argue against the upside play of signing the two-time All-Star closer. The Phillies got him on a one-year, $8.5 million "show me" deal after his 2024 campaign was derailed by injury and surgery to repair an impingement in his throwing elbow.
After being dumped by the Toronto Blue Jays at the non-tender deadline, Romano is with the Phillies to prove himself to still be a top high-leverage reliever in the league.
“Obviously, last year was a really disappointing and frustrating season for me,” Romano said during a Zoom call with local media after the signing was made official. “This year, I want to get back on track. I’m feeling healthy and good now. I wanted the one year to get back out there and prove my worth.”
Jordan Romano won't stick with the Phillies past the 2025 season
However the 2025 season turns out for the 31-year-old Romano, it's an easy bet that he won't be back in Philadelphia for a second go-round in 2026.
If he recaptures his 2022-23 All-Star form that saw him post a 2.49 ERA and 72 saves in 82 chances, he'll be one of the top bullpen arms back on the free agent market next winter and will be priced out of the Phillies' range. If he stumbles and can't perform how the Phillies are hoping, they won't want to give him another contract.
Either way, it looks like a one-and-done contract for the Canadian-born hurler. But while he's here, Romano plans to do whatever the team asks of him. He wasn't promised a closer role, just "leverage" innings.
“If they want (me) to throw the ninth, I do love closing, I have experience there, and I’m happy to do it,” Romano said about his role in the bullpen in 2025. “But if they need me in other spots, too, I’m happy to do that. That’s more so what it’s going to be. I’m just there to help get big outs whenever they need them.”
If he pitches as well as he is capable he'll grab the keys to the ninth inning before long. That will only serve to raise his stock for a big payday after the season. Hopefully, Romano gets a full playoff run to the World Series to make the most of his time here.