The Philadelphia Phillies are getting set for the start of the 2025 campaign with the hopes of avenging an early exit from the postseason last year.
Despite having a plethora of talent on the team, the Phillies were able to win just one game in the postseason last season.
It was certainly a frustrating early exit for the team, with a couple of key areas being an issue. In the lineup, the outfield except for Nick Castellanos really struggled at the plate, with the bottom of the batting order not giving the team much.
In addition to the struggles in the lineup, the bullpen once again became an issue. Despite the unit performing well during the regular season, they once again fell short in October.
This winter, there were some significant changes to the unit as both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez left in free agency. Now, there will once again be a new closer for Philadelphia, but he has some elite upside.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required) recently spoke about the best under-the-radar move for the franchise this winter being the addition of Jordan Romano for their bullpen.
“Signing Jordan Romano, who gives them a high-leverage reliever on a relatively inexpensive contract. Can he stay healthy?”
It was a bit surprising to see that Romano’s name wasn’t mentioned as much as some of the other relief pitchers going into the offseason, but that could be a good thing for Philadelphia.
While there is certainly some risk for the Phillies relying on Romano, the struggles in 2024 were likely related to his injury and trying to come back.
Last season, the two-time All-Star totaled a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings pitched. With the sample size being so small and due to him missing time because of injury, it’s easy to throw that season out as being an indicator of the type of pitcher he is.
In both 2022 and 2023, he saved 36 games and had an ERA under 3.00 both years, while making the All-Star team. With the ability to strikeout batters at a strong clip of over 10.0/per nine innings, Romano is a strong option for closing out games.
This has certainly been a weakness for the Phillies in recent years and could be looked at as the reason the current core doesn’t have a World Series.
However, while there is some risk coming off a down season, Romano has the potential to be the type of closer that Philadelphia has been seeking for years. Even though the move didn’t garner a lot of attention, it was a strong one for the Phillies.
