As the Philadelphia Phillies fight for playoff positioning in a highly competitive National League with the NL East tightly contested by the Mets and a surging Marlins team every roster decision matters. One of those decisions may involve parting ways with struggling reliever Jordan Romano.
According to Edward Eng of That Ball’s Outta Here, Romano could be released before the end of the season due to his poor performance. Signed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal this past offseason with hopes he’d serve as a late-inning option or even the team’s closer, Romano has failed to deliver.
“Romano was perhaps the Phillies’ biggest offseason bullpen signing for 2025,” Eng wrote. “But things went downhill fast. By the end of April, he had a 12.19 ERA and while he only blew two saves, he clearly lost the team’s trust.”
Romano has since been demoted to low-leverage situations, but even there, he’s struggled. Through nearly 40 innings, his ERA is hovering around 7.00. While ERA isn’t always a perfect stat for relievers, Romano’s inconsistency has been a season-long issue dating back to April.
What was meant to be a high-impact addition has become a liability, and as Eng suggests, the Phillies may soon decide to move on from the 32-year-old right-hander to better position themselves for a deep playoff run.
