Jordan Romano's latest disastrous outing validates Blue Jays' decision

Two years ago, a Jordan Romano apperance was appointment viewing across all of Canada.

A native of Markham, Ontario, Romano was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB Draft, and went on a slow climb through the team's minor league system before making his MLB debut in 2019.

Three years later, he was the team's full-time closer, complete with a goosebumps-inducing entrance.

Now it seems like every one of Romano's appearances have become appointment viewing for all the wrong reasons.

Jordan Romano's latest disastrous outing validates Blue Jays' decision

On Wednesday, the Phillies (Romano's new team) faced off against the Mets in a classic NL East slugfest that went into extra innings.

After José Alvarado tossed two solid innings out of the bullpen, Phillies manager Rob Thomson turned to Romano with a one-run lead.

They didn't have the lead for long. Pete Alonso tied the game on an RBI double and Starling Marte ended it with a walk-off single.

It was another disastrous outing in what's becoming a nightmare season for Romano. And while the Blue Jays will always be grateful for the work Romano did at the back of their bullpen in 2022 and '23, it's clear they made the right decision in letting Romano go in the offseason.

Romano's ERA now sits at an unsightly 13.50. He's allowed multiple runs in five of his 11 outings this season, and now has a blown save and loss on his ledger.

Romano ended up in Philadelphia because the Blue Jays elected to non-tender Romano after the 2024 season, which allowed him to become a free agent.

A little more than two weeks after being non-tendered, Romano signed a one-year, $7.75 million contract with the Phillies. While Thomson was non-committal about Romano's role, he said that he would receive plenty of opportunities at the back of the Phillies' bullpen.

Fast-forward to Wednesday night, and Thomson's openly wondering if Romano is tipping pitches

There's also the Jeff Hoffman layer of this too.

The Blue Jays gave Hoffman, who ended last season as the Phillies' closer, to a three-year deal, $40-million deal to be their closer, which means the two bullpens and players will be linked all season.

Hoffman's allowed just two runs in 11 2/3 innings this year and has been great at the back of the Blue Jays' bullpen. He's beat both of the teams that backed out of contract talks during the offseason, and has reworked his arsenal with great success.

He ranks in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate and the 100th percentile in expected batting average, while Romano is in the 32nd percentile and 28th percentile in those same categories.

Romano's worst outing this year came on April 19 when he allowed six runs in 2/3 of an inning against the Marlins. While he said that he hit his spots in the outing, it's another example of his struggles this year.

Romano's rough start to the season continues a trend that we saw in 2024.

Romano had a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings last year before undergoing arthroscopic surgery in his throwing elbow which ended his season. All signs point toward him being fully healthy (Ross Atkins even said so in December), but it's clear that he currently isn't the same guy that earned an All-Star nod in 2023.

After Wednesday's loss, Romano pointed out that there was still a lot of season left.

He's not wrong. But it also seems like he's going to be spending most of that season working things out.

The Blue Jays should be glad it's not their problem.