The Phillies are in agreement on a deal with free-agent closer Jordan Romano, ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report on Monday.
The deal is pending a physical, but if and when it's taken care of, the right-hander will be on board for one year at $7.75 million, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Romano was a back-to-back All-Star reliever with the Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023, but an injury-riddled 2024 set him back.
He only made 15 appearances, registering eight saves with a 6.59 ERA, a 1.463 WHIP, and an 8.6 strikeouts per nine rate. Across 13.2 innings last season, he was tagged for 10 earned runs and four homers while only punching out 13 batters.
The play on the Phillies' part is for a healthy and bounce-back 2025 though.
Across his two All-Star seasons prior, Romano was a solid call out of the bullpen, putting up 72 saves through 122 appearances with a combined 2.49 ERA, 1.114 WHIP, and a 10.6 strikeouts per nine clip.
Opposing lineups were only hitting .204 off Romano during that two-year run, compared to the .286 average they batted off of him last season.
Romano is likely the first addition to what will be a bit of a different-looking Phillies bullpen in 2025. Jeff Hoffman, the late-inning flamethrower, looks to be on his way out with a large reported market and the potential to start elsewhere, while last year's trade deadline-acquired closer Carlos Estévez is also sitting on the free-agent market with his future probable to head elsewhere this winter.
MORE: What does Juan Soto's deal with the Mets mean for the Phillies?
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