Blue Jays sign former Giants All-Star closer to help with bullpen woes

The Toronto Blue Jays need bullpen help. So, they’re leaning on Sergio Romo, who was a former All-Star with the Giants.

Romo was DFA’d by the Seattle Mariners earlier this year and rightly so, as he struggled against the home run. Containing the long ball has been an issue in the Jays bullpen all year long, which makes Romo a curious fit.

Yet, just last season his hard-hit percentage was far better than it is today. Is this the case of a few bad outings, or is Romo past his due date?

Nonetheless, expect Toronto to make another move or two to help their ‘pen before the trade deadline, as the Jays have playoff aspirations.

Blue Jays: Does Sergio Romo help struggling bullpen?

FanSided’s Robert Murray wrote a few weeks ago in his Inside the Clubhouse column that Toronto would be looking to add before Aug. 2. This appears to be the first of many outside acquisitions to come.

"“The extra innings are unlikely to be covered internally, as the Blue Jays lack rotation depth in Triple-A. Entering spring training, Nate Pearson seemed like an obvious candidate to cover those innings. But he missed the start of the season with mono and Davidi wrote that durability concerns had him on track for a bullpen/hybrid role.‘We have to consider deadline opportunities and just trade acquisitions that could bolster our depth there,’ Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters.”"

Romo does have playoff experience with the Giants, which made him a fan favorite in San Francisco. He’s a three-time World Series champion, winning titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. His lone All-Star appearance came in 2013.

But, the 39-year-old hasn’t been much of a factor since 2019, and in his most recent time with the Mariners had an ERA of 8.16, and a WHIP of 1.535. That’s anything but stable.