The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot to be happy about as they begin the 2025 season 7-2. Their starting rotation is as dominant as predicted, and their star-studded lineup has delivered clutch hits when required.
Kyle Schwarber has been at the forefront of offensive productivity, and Edmundo Sosa appears to be baseball’s top utility player. Offseason signings Jesús Luzardo and Max Kepler have delivered strong performances, with Luzardo recently dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers with eight strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
However, one offseason addition has not worked out for the defending NL East champions, revealing a harsh reality about the team’s bullpen.
What Jordan Romano’s continued struggles mean for the back end of the Phillies’ bullpen
On Sunday, the Phillies extended their season-opening series winning streak to three games, defeating the defending champion Dodgers twice. Nick Castellanos blasted a grand slam, the Phillies walked eleven times, and Jordan Romano, as expected, blew the team’s two-run lead when he entered the seventh inning.
With the Phillies up 6-4, manager Rob Thomson made the questionable decision to start Romano over the more trustworthy Orion Kerkering, despite Kerkering having not pitched since Thursday. Romano faced just three batters, allowing a single, walk, and double before being lifted for Kerkering and leaving the field to boos.
Romano was responsible for all three Los Angeles runs that inning, pushing his ERA to 15.75 after allowing seven earned runs in only four innings. Phillies supporters groaned as Romano entered the game to face two MVPs, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, especially after his near-meltdown on Friday night.
Luzardo’s electrifying performance was almost utterly wasted in the series opener, as Romano nearly blew a 3-0 lead while looking for his first Phillies save. He was successful in making the save, but only after J.T. Realmuto rescued him with his heroic arm.
Romano’s persistent problems for the Phillies highlight the harsh reality that their bullpen lacks depth. All eight of their relievers are unquestionably talented, but if one is hurt or simply fails to perform like Romano, they may be in danger.
Who can the Phillies trust in late-inning, high-leverage situations?
When Romano signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract this offseason, it was expected that he would handle the most of the team’s save opportunities, at least early in the season. Just nine games in, there are serious concerns about Romano’s ability to consistently retire batters and throw strikes, while José Alvarado leads the team in saves with two.
Despite Alvarado’s tendency to make his appearances more nerve-racking than necessary, Phillies fans would prefer to see him as the club’s closer. Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and even José Ruiz are currently significantly more trusted to protect late leads than Romano, who is losing velocity on his fastball, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
By the conclusion of 2024, the Phillies had two more solid arms who were trusted to close out games: Jeff Hoffman and trade deadline addition Carlos Estévez. Hoffman, a fan favorite, received a three-year, $33 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, while Estévez joined the Kansas City Royals on a two-year, $22 million agreement.
The Phillies decided to let both depart in free agency and instead signed Romano at a discount. These moves put a lot of weight on their existing bullpen to deliver when it counts, especially given they were responsible for sending the Phillies home early in last year’s playoffs.
