Non-tendered Blue Jays closer should be a bullpen target for KC Royals

Between re-signing veteran Michael Wacha and trading starter Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer, the Kansas City Royals have already been very active this offseason. Still, the team needs to bolster their bullpen before 2025, and a new option just became available — closer Jordan Romano.

The Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered Romano on November 22, making the two-time All-Star a free agent after a decade in the organization. Originally selected by the Blue Jays in the tenth round of the 2014 MLB draft, Romano made his major league debut on June 12, 2019, and quickly established himself as a fan-favorite star in Toronto. Unfortunately, the 31-year-old struggled with injuries and underperformance in 2024, leading to the team deciding to part ways with him before Friday's non-tender deadline.

Now a free agent, Romano is an option for any team looking to add a high-leverage reliever to their bullpen — including the Royals.

Romano's fall from grace in 2024 made him an obvious non-tender candiate for the Blue Jays

The 2024 season marked a rather remarkable fall from grace for Romano, who entered the year with back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023. In just 13.2 innings of work this year, the right-hander posted an underwhelming 6.59 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP and 13 strikeouts. He closed 8 saves in 9 opportunities, but that was really his only impressive stat — all the rest were the worst he's posted since his 17-game debut season in 2019.

On July 3, Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair an impingement in his right elbow, and ended up being sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 season. It was an unfortunate end to a disappointing season, and now Romano will be looking for a comeback opportunity in free agency.

Considering his stats in 2024, Romano simply wasn't a player the Blue Jays were prepared to spend money on this winter, making him an obvious non-tender candidate. He made $7.75 million this year, and with another season of arbitration eligibility, he was set to make as much — if not more — in 2025. For Toronto, Romano just wasn't worth investing in any further.

But what about the Royals?

Can Romano bounce back to bolster the KC Royals bullpen?

With the Royals looking to prove their comeback season was more than just a fluke, bolstering the bullpen needs to be a priority this winter. Of the 30 teams in MLB, the Royals' 2024 relief corps ranked a disappointing 20th in ERA (4.13), 23rd in WHIP (1.33), and 30th — dead last — in strikeouts (463). Still, KC general manager J.J. Picollo isn't convinced that acquring another reliever is an urgent need.

“That’s something we’ll let play out in the offseason," Picollo told MLB.com at the GM Meetings in early November. "Somebody else we’re looking forward to having back is Hunter Harvey. When we acquired him and Erceg, we figured that was our eighth and ninth innings. Then we had some of our guys get hurt, but we had some young pitchers step up. And they really performed exceptionally well, which is exciting for us. And they did it on big stages, in big moments, and that was really encouraging."

"So we feel very good about our bullpen," Picollo continued. "Doesn’t mean we won’t do anything, but we feel very good about the depth of our bullpen right now.”

While the return of Hunter Harvey — who was acquired by the Royals at the trade deadline but only managed 5.2 innings before being sidelined with mid-back tightness — is exciting, Picollo's optimism about the overall state of the team's bullpen borders on delusional. Other than closer Lucas Erceg, Kansas City's relievers were a certifiable mess in 2024, and Harvey's reactivation from the IL isn't going to single-handedly turn that around.

The Royals need to add at least one relief pitcher this winter, and Romano is a new option that should be considered. While his 2024 season certainly wasn't anything to write home about, Romano's talent shouldn't be judged by one injury-ridden season — especially when previous years prove what he can do.

In the three-year period from 2021-23, Romano posted a 2.37 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 230 strikeouts in 184 appearances with the Blue Jays. He closed 95 saves in 106 opportunities (89.6%) with an incredible 11.1 K/9, and earned All-Star selections in both 2022 and 2023.

There's no reason to believe Romano won't be able to return to his pre-injury form in 2025, and if he can, he would be a game-changing addition to the Royals' bullpen — if they're prepared to pay for him. Sportrac projects Romano's market value to get him a six-year, $65 million contract this offseason, putting his average annual value (AAV) at $10.9 million.

Even if the Royals manage to talk him down to a shorter-term deal, Romano's projected AAV is substantially higher than a number of other free agent relief options, including Jeff Hoffman and Kirby Yates. To be fair, Romano will almost definitely be far more budget-friendly than other top relievers like Tanner Scott and Clay Holmes, but it's still a lot to expect from a team whose GM is yet to admit that acquiring a reliever is even a priority.

The Royals have made two major moves this offseason — re-signing Wacha and trading Singer for India and Wiemer — and in both cases, the team kept their cards very close to their chest, so another surprise acquisition certainly isn't out of the question. Whether Kansas City will be open to spending big in free agency remains to be seen, but when it comes to Romano, the team should definitely make sure they're in the conversation.