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Ex-Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Romano off to awful start with new team

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Apr 7 2025, 5:00 pm
Ex-Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Romano off to awful start with new team
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays’ decision to part ways with Jordan Romano isn’t looking like the worst call in the early days of the 2025 season.

The Markham native had spent six years with the Blue Jays, gaining recognition as one of the team’s most popular players during his time with his hometown team.

He had back-to-back All-Star seasons in 2022 and 2023 and won the Tip O’Neill Award as the best Canadian-born baseball player by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

But following injury woes in his final season in Toronto, the Blue Jays opted to non-tender his contract, allowing him to be a free agent for the first time.

And since signing a one-year, US$8.5-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, it’s safe to say things could be going better for the former Toronto pitcher.

In five appearances for the Phillies, Romano is holding a 15.75 earned run average through four innings pitched, giving up seven earned runs and six hits in the process. He got off to a rocky start in his first-ever game with the Phillies, blowing a save on March 27 in a season-opening contest against the Washington Nationals.

Sunday’s game against the Dodgers was a particularly tough appearance for Romano, who gave up three earned runs without managing a single out before being yanked.

Despite the tough stretches from Romano, the Phillies have actually gone 5-0 in his five appearances, suggesting that the first-place team might not really need to turn to him in high-leverage situations for the time being.

“It was a tough last year. I had the surgery in July… but I bounced back good, had a pretty normal offseason… [being with the Phillies now] feels really normal, the guys have been super welcoming. Now it’s just playing baseball,” Romano had told CityNews’ Lindsay Dunn this offseason.

Romano had an ERA of 2.90, 285 strikeouts, and 105 saves in 231 appearances for the Blue Jays in his career, making his MLB debut with the team in 2019. While there might be better days ahead for the former Jays star, he’s certainly got an uphill battle to win over his new fanbase.

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