Jordan Romano, Blue Jays reunion hopes dashed as he lands new contract in the NL East

After an injury-plagued 2024 season, the Toronto Blue Jays had a tough decision to make on long-time closer Jordan Romano, as he was up for arbitration but just finished putting together easily the worst season of his big league career.

Instead of giving him a pay raise that he may not have fully earned, the Blue Jays elected to non-tender Romano. There was a chance all along that they re-upped with him on a new deal, perhaps one at a lowered value than his arb number, but those hopes were dashed on Monday when news broke of his signing elsewhere.

As relayed by ESPN's super-insider Jeff Passan, Romano is headed to the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year contract. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer shared that the contract is worth $7.75 million, which is exactly what MLBTR projected he'd make in arbitration with the Blue Jays.

Edit: The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal has clarified that Romano will make $8.5 million with a $500K bonus if he pitches 60 innings in 2025.

Jordan Romano signs with Phillies, dashes all hopes of Blue Jays reunion

Romano, 31, is one of the most successful closers in Blue Jays history and was an immensely popular figure both off the field and in the clubhouse. The right-hander is a native of Markham and was always a part of the Jays' annual community events all around Canada. His presence will be missed in more than one way, especially on the field.

The Blue Jays need help in their bullpen in the absolute worst way, so whiffing on what should've been a simple reunion is not a great look. The club had reported interest in bringing him back, but the Phillies are obviously much closer to contention in the immediate future, so it's difficult to blame Romano for looking to go elsewhere.

Now, the Phillies have their closer to mend the gap left by the departures of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency. They're bringing aboard a player with two All-Star Game appearances in the past three years and one who, when he's on, is capable of being one of the best closers in the game.