Ex-Blue Jays' Jordan Romano's rapid fire downfall continues with Angels' latest decision

Sometimes life as a major leaguer can be as tough as it gets. At one point, you could be the star of the league and the next you could be struggling just to maintain a job. That is exactly what has happened for former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano in his effort to revitalize his career with the Los Angeles Angels this season. His rapid downfall has continued as the Angels announced that Romano was being designated for assignment after a rough start to his 2026 campaign.

Angels designate Jordan Romano for assignment after massive struggles in recent weeks

After signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles during the past offseason, Romano had begun the year on a high note with his new club. The former Blue Jays closer had held his opponents hitless and scoreless while going 4-for-4 in save opportunities for the Angels in his first six games of the year.

However, things would completely fall apart for Romano in his subsequent five relief appearances, blowing two saves while giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits with four walks and five strikeouts in just three total innings of work. Among those included a disastrous outing in which he failed to record a single out to blow a 10-8 Angels lead to lose 11-10 to the New York Yankees on April 13. As a result, those disappointing performances likely spelled the end of Romano’s tenure with Los Angeles. He would finish with an abysmal 10.13 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in 11 relief appearances with the Angels.

It was only a few years ago when Romano was among the top closers in the league during his time with the Blue Jays. Between 2020 and 2023 for Toronto, the 33-year-old reliever had consistently posted an ERA under 3.00 while averaging greater than 10 strikeouts per nine innings. By recording back-to-back 36-save seasons in 2022 and 2023, Romano would be named to the All-Star team in both instances. From there, he appeared to be a permanent mainstay in the back end of the Blue Jays’ bullpen for years to come.

However, an injury-riddled 2024 season would unfortunately kickstart his current fall from grace. Romano would appear in just 15 games for the Blue Jays, compiling a dismal 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, giving up 10 earned runs including four home runs in just 13.2 total innings. Despite having fully recovered from his injury during the 2024-25 offseason, Toronto chose not to tender their star closer as he left for the Philadelphia Phillies in free agency.

With the renewed opportunity with the Phillies in 2025, Romano failed to capitalize on his chance as he struggled to an 8.23 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, giving up a whopping 39 earned runs including 10 home runs in 42.2 innings of work over 49 appearances. Consequently, he was not included in the Phillies’ postseason roster and was ultimately let go to free agency once again upon the conclusion of the season.

Romano will now look for that one more chance to re-establish his MLB career, whether it be down in the minors in the Angels’ system or ultimately with another team. Nevertheless, it is certainly sad to see how the once almighty had fallen in just a short period of time.

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