I Blue Jays I didn’t do it Jordan Romano A contract offer before the closing could be released this week, reports Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star. This apparent lack of interest in keeping Romano at any price (not to mention his estimated $7.75MM arbitration salary) likely closes the door on any chance of a reunion between Romano and the Jays, so the two-time All-Star will likely be raising the alarm. elsewhere in 2025. It was no surprise that Romano was not tendered, given his high price tag and the uncertainty surrounding his health status thereafter. his injury-riddled 2024 campaign.
Romano did not ride after May 29 and had surgery on his right elbow in July. As Chisholm noted, Romano told Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star in early November that he would soon start getting off the mound, and that he was “feeling good” as he recovered from his surgery. While more details about Romano’s health are sure to emerge from last season, it’s clear the Jays didn’t share the reliever’s confidence in his elbow. Finding a new closer is now the latest item on Toronto’s winter to-do list, and the Jays already have a lot of work to do in fixing a bullpen that was one of the worst in baseball last season.
More from the AL East….
- I The Yankees they are open to meeting Jonathan Loaisigaalthough Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post reports that the Bombers are one of 14 teams that have shown interest in the reliever. Loaisiga has pitched just 21 2/3 major league innings over the past two seasons, as elbow issues (including bone removal surgery) limited him to 17 2/3 frames in 2023, and he pitched just four innings before surgery of UCL. his 2024 season will end soon. Loaisiga’s technique was no Tommy John technique, and he was throwing a 90-yarder to scouts earlier this week, with the Yankees among the clubs with a scout in hand. All 163 of Loaisiga’s MLB games have come in a Yankees uniform, so the team has plenty of experience with the right-hander’s ability when healthy, and an inside look at his health. Signing Loaisiga won’t cost the Yankees or any team that might offer him a contract this winter, making him an interesting buy at the bottom of the bullpen market.
- Austin Hays it was sold from Orioles to the Phillies before the trade deadline, but now that Hays is a free agent after being non-tendered, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com thinks there’s a chance Hays could return to Baltimore. Hays had an injury-plagued 2024 season that included a severe kidney infection that developed during his time in Philadelphia, and he wound up with a below-average 98 wRC+ from a .255/.303/.396 slash line in total plate appearances. 255. . The outfielder was much better offensively and defensively in the 2021-23 seasons when he was healthy, and Baltimore has a clear need for right-handed hitting outfielders (and righty hitting in general).
- It remains to be seen if Radiation will also play at Tropicana Field, but at least through the 2025 season, the club will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The move will have an impact on the Rays’ schedule, as some adjustments are naturally necessary because the Rays will now be playing outdoors in the Florida summer rather than inside the stadium. With more rain now likely, president of baseball operations Erik Neander is looking to add inning depth at both the major and minor league levels. As Neander told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, “it’s…making sure that we can protect our arms and control the system in a way that if the game gets interrupted and delayed after two innings and you lose a starter, then you have to put together four or five. [innings] as it comes back before you go to the bullpen, that you have the ability to control each day as needed, to cover that and do it in a way that is in the best interest of the team..” A lot of pitching will also be needed as Stein is expected to be a more friendly environment than the Trop, although the Rays hitters could also benefit from the situation.
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