Former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano is back home and will be looking for redemption.
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Former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano is back home and will definitely looking to redeem himself against a team that let him walk into the welcoming arms of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Blue Jays cut Romano ahead of the Nov. 22 deadline for clubs to offer contracts for the 2025 season.
The right-hander, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing elbow last July, was projected to earn $7.75 million, and the Blue Jays could've offered him a minimum of $6.2 million in arbitration.
Romano ultimately signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with Philadelphia that included a $500,000 bonus if he throws 60 innings.
When Jordan Romano walks out from the visitors' bullpen for the Phillies at Rogers Centre this week it will feel strange for almost everyone in the stadium, from Blue Jays personnel to fans in the seats.
Romano, a native of Markham, Ont., will be in town with the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.
It will be his first time returning to Toronto for game action since signing with the Phillies in the off-season on the heels of six seasons with the Blue Jays and 11 years in the organization.
Schneider watched the 32-year-old Romano grow up and says he's been exchanging texts with the right-hander as the reunion neared.
"Looking forward to seeing him," said Schneider. "Probably going to tell him that he's tipping all of his pitches and try to mess with him a little bit."
Romano's return is only half of the intriguing narrative that will unfold this week, though.
The other half is that Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman will also face off against his former team.
The Blue Jays and Phillies essentially pulled off a closer swap in the off-season in what was a truly unique situation.
The Blue Jays inked Hoffman, who had spent the previous two seasons as a high-leverage reliever with the Phillies, to a three-year, $33 million deal.
"They checked in a lot," Hoffman told Sportsnet recently about his free-agent contract discussions with the Phillies. "But once it came down to when negotiations started, they were usually not anywhere near where everybody else was at.
"I loved my time there," he added. "The open market is so competitive. I knew once the extension wasn't going to happen that it was kind of who knows where I was going to end up. I knew there was a good chance that I wouldn't be back there."
Hoffman said he's happy with his decision to join the Blue Jays and Romano has said as much about his new club in interviews over the winter.
Nonetheless, the two will be linked and compared to one another for as long as they remain with their current clubs.
And that comparison has been interesting this season.
The numbers show that Hoffman has outperformed Romano, yet both hurlers have produced well below their career norms.
Look a little deeper and there's a story within a story. Hoffman shot out the gate in dominant form and looked like the most impactful player on the Blue Jays' roster for a stretch.
Romano, on the other hand, struggled so badly that he was booed by fans in Philadelphia and lost his closers role for a while.
However, as the calendar turned to May, their numbers began to reverse. Hoffman interspersed some strong performances with a handful of ugly outings, while Romano settled down considerably, allowing runs in just two of his 12 appearances.
As for facing his former club this week, Hoffman acknowledged he's had the date circled on his calendar.
"Definitely," he said. "That's a great team. When that type of offence comes in, obviously you're not necessarily excited about it, but that would be a good test for us as a group."
He's also friends with many Phillies players and is looking forward to catching up with them and their families.
No plans are concrete, yet, but he will at least try to hang out and go for a meal.
"But, once you step on the field, it'll be like, 'I don't know 'em,'" said Hoffman. "That's the way I treat it. I'm trying to get everybody I can."
Do you think former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano will get a warm hometown welcome out of the bullpen or will the fans boo him?
Tell us what you think in the poll below.
Source: Sportsnet, MLB.com
| POLL | ||
JUIN 3 | 177 ANSWERS Former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano is back home and will be looking for redemption. Do you think former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano will get a warm hometown welcome out of the bullpen or will the fans boo him? | ||
| Yes warm welcome | 172 | 97.2 % |
| No BOO HIM | 5 | 2.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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