So far, the 2022 season hasn’t treated veteran reliever Sergio Romo well.
He was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners a week ago, and released two days later.
As it turns out, it didn’t take him too long to find a new team.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Romo will sign with a contender.
“Romo has deal with Jays, via league sources,” he tweeted.
Romo has deal with Jays, via league sources https://t.co/5mFJkqk3Nn
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 27, 2022
The deal is expected to be of the MLB variety: it means the Toronto Blue Jays will give him a spot on the active roster.
Romo, however, will need to show he can keep his ERA down to manageable levels in order to get some high-leverage innings in 2022.
Romo Hasn’t Had A Good Season
Romo is used to being a closer or a setup man, but it’s impossible to imagine him doing so with an 8.16 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.
Those are his 2022 numbers so far, in 17 games and 14.1 innings with the Mariners.
Romo, 39, has a career 3.20 ERA, mostly as a reliever, so there is a path for him to help the Blue Jays if he can regain his best form.
The 40-32 Blue Jays have fallen to fourth place in the ever-competitive AL East division.
They will need contributions from their starters, hitters, and relievers to revert the situation, which isn’t optimal, but far from a disaster.
In the end, 14.1 innings is not a big enough sample size to conclude Romo doesn’t have anything left in his right arm, but it’s evident he needs to change some things in order to come relatively close to his best version.
The Blue Jays are eager to give him a shot.
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