Los Angeles Angels officially release former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano
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Jordan Romano is headed to free agency.
The Los Angeles Angels have officially released right-hander Jordan Romano, according to clubs transactions tracker at MLB.com.
Romano had been designated for assignment just days earlier and will now enter free agency in search of a new opportunity.
Veteran players with at least five years of MLB service time can refuse minor league assignments and instead choose free agency while still collecting their salary.
In this case, the Angels bypassed that step and released Romano outright.
They remain responsible for the remainder of his $2 million salary, though another team could sign him for the prorated league minimum, which would then be deducted from what the Angels owe.
Any potential interest from other teams is unlikely to be driven by his recent performance.
Romano has struggled over the past few seasons.
Injuries limited him during the 2024 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, and his subsequent stint with Philadelphia produced poor results.
The Angels took a chance on a rebound, but it didn’t materialize. Since the start of 2024, spanning those three clubs, he has pitched 64 1/3 innings with an 8.11 ERA.
That figure may exaggerate how ineffective he’s been.
That figure may exaggerate how ineffective he’s been.
His 9.3% walk rate during that stretch is around league average, while his 24.7% strikeout rate is slightly above it.
However, a high home run-to-fly ball rate (18.1%) has hurt him, along with some unfavorable luck indicators, including a .331 batting average on balls in play and a 54.2% strand rate.
His 5.43 FIP suggests below-average performance, but still an improvement over his ERA, while a 3.71 SIERA offers a more optimistic perspective.
Still, Romano’s strongest case comes from his earlier success. Between 2020 and 2023 with the Blue Jays, he was one of the league’s more effective relievers, posting a 2.29 ERA across 200 2/3 innings.
During that time, he recorded 97 saves with a 30.8% strikeout rate, a 9.2% walk rate, and a 43.3% ground ball rate.
He hasn’t approached that level since. While some underlying metrics offer hope, a return to peak form may be difficult given the decline in his velocity.
His four-seam fastball averaged 97.6 mph in 2021 but has steadily dropped each year, sitting at 94.5 mph in 2026.
His slider has also lost more than 4 mph from its peak, further contributing to his reduced effectiveness.
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