ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – APRIL 12: Jordan Romano #68 of the Philadelphia Phillies sits in the dugout prior to a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 12, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies gambled last offseason by signing veteran closer Jordan Romano, anticipating he would recapture the dominant form he displayed for the Toronto Blue Jays before an injury-ravaged 2024 season. Instead, the acquisition quickly proved disappointing as Romano struggled with command and consistency throughout the year.
Following a dismal campaign that ended with Philadelphia moving on, Romano’s future appeared uncertain. Yet within less than a year, the veteran reliever has resurfaced with a remarkable and unconventional distinction that spans both leagues.
Romano’s path took an unexpected turn when the Los Angeles Angels acquired him to open the current season before he was subsequently traded to the Colorado Rockies. As The Athletic’s Sam Blum reported on X in a widely shared post, Romano has simultaneously led the Angels in saves during 2026 and co-leads the Rockies in saves over the same period, accumulating eight total.
The odd statistic underscores the uniqueness of Romano’s season. Even with only eight saves in total, managing the lead for two separate clubs highlights his recent resurgence. He has posted a 1.35 ERA across seven appearances for the Rockies, a team that plays in one of baseball’s most batter-friendly environments.
When the Angels brought Romano aboard before the 2026 campaign, they were placing a bet on a two-time All-Star’s ability to rediscover the form that once made him one of the game’s premier closers. “Romano would certainly fit the label of a possible reclamation project after having an ugly 2025 season with the Phillies, as he posted an 8.23 ERA in 49 games a year after he was limited due to injury with the Blue Jays,” Christian Arnold wrote for the New York Post. “The right-hander had 47 strikeouts and allowed 10 home runs in 42⅔ innings in his lone season with the Phillies. During his 2024 season in Toronto, Romano had a 6.59 ERA in 13⅔ innings as he dealt with right elbow inflammation for most of the year.”
Those difficult consecutive seasons stood in stark contrast to Romano’s peak years with the Blue Jays from 2021 to 2023, when he established himself as an elite late-inning reliever. Over that three-year stretch he posted a 2.37 ERA with 95 saves and earned American League All-Star selections in both 2022 and 2023.
While Romano has not fully returned to that dominant level, his unusual distinction of leading two different franchises in saves within the same season demonstrates that he has once again become a trusted late-inning option. For the Phillies, the turn of events serves as a further reminder that reliever performance can shift dramatically from one season to the next.
