Plays of the Week: Oilers’ Bouchard shows off sick mitts and finish vs. Senators’ Ullmark
All the best plays from the past seven days in the NHL, including Quinn Hughes sniping the sweet backhander, Jacob Markstrom flashing some serious leather and Evan Bouchard showing he’s much more than just a bomb from the point.
TORONTO — Faced with the decision between committing to their longtime closer as he works his way back from elbow surgery or letting him hit free agency, the Toronto Blue Jays chose to part ways with Jordan Romano Friday night.
They non-tendered the 31-year-old native of Markham, Ont., along with fellow reliever Dillon Tate, while avoiding arbitration with Erik Swanson on a one-year, $3 million deal and tendering contracts to all of their other eligible players.
Of course it’s the decision to part ways with Romano that stands out most. The move seemingly has a lot to do with money, as MLB Trade Rumors projected Romano to earn $7.75 million in 2025 and he missed the second half of the 2024 season recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery. Still, it’s an unceremonious ending to a memorable Blue Jays career — and there may well be further excellence ahead for Romano.
While it’s technically possible that he re-signs in Toronto, the front office has already had the chance to speak with his representatives about possible deals for 2025 and the sides clearly didn’t see eye to eye. With that in mind, some in the industry are quick to predict he’ll sign elsewhere, leaving the Blue Jays for the first time since his brief stint with the Rangers as a Rule 5 Draft pick in 2019.
Since Tate was projected to earn $1.9 million in 2025, the two non-tenders save the Blue Jays nearly $10 million in projected payroll while also opening up two 40-man roster spots. GM Ross Atkins must now use that money to help the Blue Jays address their various needs on offence, in the starting rotation and, of course, in the bullpen.
In the aftermath of these moves, the Blue Jays’ need for relief has never been more clear. The bullpen that finished the 2024 season last in the MLB in wins above replacement and second-last in ERA has only subtracted so far, cutting left-hander Genesis Cabrera along with Romano and Tate.
At the moment, the Blue Jays’ bullpen features Swanson, Chad Green, Ryan Burr, Brendon Little and Zach Pop followed by various question marks. It’s not nearly good enough for a team with post-season aspirations, which means Atkins must add arms before opening day.
For now, though, the priority appears to be starting pitching rather than relief pitching. While a little counter-intuitive, the thinking here is that the right rotation help would bump Yariel Rodriguez to the bullpen, improving the quality and depth of the pitching staff as a whole. Whether they land a frontline arm like Max Fried remains to be seen, but some industry observers believe that’s more likely than a four-year deal for a reliever like Tanner Scott or Jeff Hoffman.
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One way or another, this pitching staff needs a lot of help. As thin as it now looks on paper, further injuries are sure to test the depth of the staff as the season progresses. As of now, the Blue Jays don’t have the quality or the quantity of pitching necessary to compete deep into October. Like most teams, they have a lot of work ahead of them this off-season.
Of all the recent departures, it’s the loss of Romano that’s most significant. Over the course of the last decade, the right-hander worked his way from unheralded starting pitching prospect to all-star closer. A 10th-round pick in 2014, Romano was an intriguing minor-league pitcher though never a top prospect.
In 2019 Romano would make his MLB debut, and by 2021 he had emerged as the Blue Jays’ primary closer. From 2021-23 he averaged 32 saves, 62 innings and 77 strikeouts per season with a 2.37 ERA — a dominant stretch that leaves him third on the all-time franchise saves list with 105.
Yet injuries derailed his 2024 season, first when elbow issues forced him to begin the season on the injured list and later when he underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery that eventually ended his year. He was slated to throw in front of team personnel this month, a bullpen session that would have given Blue Jays decision-makers a clear idea of how Romano was progressing.
Whatever they saw, what happened next was a non-tender. Now, it’s up to Romano to prove to the Blue Jays that they made a mistake, and that he does have lots to offer as a big-league closer in 2025. As for the Blue Jays, it’s time to start building back up and adding to a pitching staff that now looks dangerously thin.
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