MLB contract grade: Phillies Juan Soto response leaves a lot to be desired

The big domino of the MLB offseason fell on late Sunday night, as the New York Mets signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a record 15-year, $765 million contract. With that, the landscape of New York baseball, and the NL East, changed dramatically.

With the Mets adding the best free agent of the offseason, all eyes are on the other teams to see how they will respond. The Philadelphia Phillies stand out, as they saw their season end at the hands of the Mets in the NLDS. While the roster is loaded with superstars, it wasn't enough to get the team back to the World Series.

The Phillies made a move less than 24 hours later. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies signed former Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jordan Romano to a one-year contract worth more than his projected arbitration number of $7.75 million.

MLB contract grade: Phillies address bullpen need by signing Jordan Romano after Mets sign Juan Soto

The Phillies desperately needed to address their bullpen, who went surprisingly cold during the postseason. But, the main concern was that Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman, both of whom were their top bullpen options, are currently free agents. With those two still on the open market, the Phillies choose to take a bit of a gamble to bring in Romano.

Bringing in a two-time All-Star closer should be seen as a plus. After all, those two All-Star Game appearances took place in 2022 and 2023. But this past season, Romano left a lot to be desired. He only pitched in April and May before suffering an elbow injury that required him to have season-ending surgery.

In 15 games, Romano recorded a 6.59 ERA, a 1.463 WHIP, eight saves, 13 strikeouts, and four walks in 13.2 innings pitched.

Overall, though, Romano's numbers during his time with Toronto, holding a 2.90 ERA, a 1.141 WHIP, 105 saves, 285 strikeouts, and 88 walks in 229.2 innings (231 games).

The Phillies will have to bank on Romano returning to his former All-Star form. Does this move the needle for Philadelphia? No. But it does address an area of need. We'll see if the Phillies continue to address the bullpen after the Romano signing.

Phillies contract grade: B-