Former Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero gets another chance with Giants

When Toronto Blue Jays released former top prospect and staff ace Ricky Romero at the end of April, the news brought with it a sense of relief for all parties involved. In was the inevitable end for Toronto’s own Sisyphus, forever pushing the boulder up the mountain, but any able to get it all the way to the top before having to start over.

However, unlike the Greek myth of Sisyphus, this one appears like it will get another chance at a happy ending. According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, Romero appears close to signing a deal with the San Francisco Giants.

At the time of his release, Romero was rehabbing from a double knee operation in 2014. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the determination when he realized that Romero’s recovery timeline was not going to allow him to help the team in 2015, his last year under contract with the team.

"“We made the determination we just didn’t think by the end of the year he was going to be able to factor for us up here. Knowing this was the last year of his contract, we felt it was best to just give him the opportunity to get a head start somewhere else.” – Alex Anthopoulos (h/t Brendan Kennedy, Toronto Star)"

As mentioned, it was the inevitable end of Ricky Romero’s time in Toronto. An All-Star in 2010, when he accumulated a 15-11 record with a 2.92 ERA and a 7.1 K/9 ratio, the decline was sudden for the then 26-year-old left-hander. The 4.20 FIP in 2011 was a likely indicator that the performance wasn’t maintainable, but it became evident when Romero stumbled in 2012. After starting the season 8-1 (through June 22nd), albeit with a 4.34 ERA, Romero would lose his next thirteen decision and finished the year with a 9-14 record, a 5.77 ERA, and a 5.14 FIP.

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Things didn’t get any better in 2013. The Blue Jays opted to tinker with Romero’s delivery in the spring, and after the changes failed to take shape, Romero would fail to make the rotation out of spring training, starting the year in Single-A Dunedin to sharpen his command. He would go on to receive two disastrous call-ups to Toronto in 2013, but appeared in just four games, allowing 9 earned runs, 11 hits, and 8 walks over just 9.1 innings of work.

That was the last time Ricky Romero would be seen in Toronto. Romero made just nine appearances for Triple-A Buffalo in 2014 before the knee surgery ended his season.

The signing with the Giants is exactly the opportunity that Anthopoulos spoke of when releasing Romero. The San Francisco Giants not only give Romero the ability to continue working his way back to the Major Leagues, but as a native of Los Angeles, it also allows Romero to resume his work closer to home.

All said and done, it was an unfortunate ending for Ricky Romero in Toronto, but one that still has a chance to work out well in the end. Here’s to hoping that he finally pushes that boulder up over the mountain.

Next: Are the Blue Jays ready to take off in May?

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