Phillies sign Jordan Romano to one-year deal

The dominoes are starting to fall in free agency, especially with Juan Soto signing a mega deal with the New York Mets. It seemed like all free agents were waiting for him to sign. Now that he has, the floodgates should open.

The Philadelphia Phillies made their first move in free agency Monday afternoon. They have signed former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5M.

The Phillies' bullpen is always a place where they could use some help. After the bullpen's blowup in the NLDS against the Mets, it's evident that they need some reinforcements.

With the Phillies losing Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez and Spencer Turnbull to free agency, they're going to need to find pieces to fill those holes. Romano is someone that could help do just that.

Romano had a rough season in 2024 due to an elbow injury. The 31-year-old appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays and finished with a 6.59 ERA in 13-2/3 innings pitched.

These numbers are unlike Romano who has a career ERA of 2.67 across his first five big league seasons. In 2023, he finished with a 2.90 ERA in 59 games innings with the Blue Jays and collected 36 saves.

Romano is also a two-time All-Star which makes him enticing. When he's healthy, he's one of the best closers in baseball.

If he can have a bounceback season, then the Phillies might have just found their new closer. The Phillies can't stop here, though. While Romano is a great start, they need to keep adding on if they want to get back to the World Series.