The Philadelphia Phillies signed Jordan Romano to a one-year deal to bolster the bullpen, but the right-hander has struggled to begin the season.
To begin the 2025 MLB season, the Phillies already have six blown saves, and Romano has blown one of them. Although manager Rob Thomson says he isn’t concerned about the bullpen, MLB insider Drew VonScio of Newsweek urges the Phillies to sign free agent reliever David Robertson to replace Romano in the back-end of the bullpen.
“Manager Rob Thompson told reporters he isn’t concerned just yet because ‘it’s a small sample size.’ Thompson is correct, but he must make changes sooner rather than later,” VonScio wrote. “One change could be signing free agent David Robertson…
“Robertson has also pitched in two different seasons with the Phillies, so he is very familiar with pitching at Citizens Bank Park…. Robertson’s age doesn’t mean anything for a team as desperate as the Phillies. There’s also very little, if any, risk in signing him,” VonScio added. “The worst-case scenario is he performs just like the others in the bullpen. If he performs the way he did last season, Robertson becomes one of the better relievers and quickly establishes a late-inning role.”
As VonScio points out, Robertson would be a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Phillies. He has proven to be a shutdown late-inning reliever in his career and has proven he can pitch in Philadelphia. With Robertson still a free agent, it also likely wouldn’t cost much to sign him.
Robertson went 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 68 games over 72 innings in 2024 with the Texas Rangers.
Phillies Manager Has Confidence in Bullpen
Philadelphia’s bullpen has been an issue this season, as they are giving up plenty of runs and hard contact.
Although the Phillies’ bullpen has been blowing games, Thomson isn’t worried about it as he says it’s a small sample size.
“I don’t,” Thomson said. “Because it’s still a small sample size. I know we have really good arms, really good stuff out there. We’ve just got to keep working at it, keep grinding through it… I think we’ve got the pieces there to get it done.”
To begin the season, Romano is 0-0 with a 15.26 ERA in 7.2 innings, as he’s 1-for-2 on saves. Carlos Hernandez, meanwhile, has a 9.00 ERA, Joe Ross has a 7.45 ERA, and Jose Ruiz has a 6.75 ERA out of the bullpen.
Insider Claims Phillies are Concerned With Romano
The Toronto Blue Jays let Jordan Romano walk, and the Phillies quickly pounced to sign him.
However, to begin his tenure, Romano has struggled. Although Thomson has claimed he isn’t worried, Phillies insider Matt Gelb of The Athletic claims behind closed doors the team is worried about the reliever.
“The club is baffled by Romano’s first nine outings. He has a 15.26 ERA in 7 2/3 innings. In Saturday’s appearance, he threw a fastball at 99.8 mph — one of the hardest pitches of his entire career. But Miami’s hungry hitters crushed the affable Canadian,” Gelb wrote. “Earlier in the season, when Romano’s fastballs were 92 and 93 mph, Thomson said the Phillies had overworked him. When he threw hard on Saturday without good results, Thomson cited Romano’s recent inactivity.”
Romano signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Phillies.
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Insider Urges Phillies to Sign Star Reliever to Replace Struggling Jordan Romano