The Phillies declined their $4.5MM option on lefty reliever J.C. Romero, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He'll receive a $250K buyout instead.
Romero, 34, posted a 3.38 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 7.1 BB/9 over 53.3 innings spanning the 2009-10 seasons after tossing 59 innings in '08. He had flexor tendon elbow surgery in October of '09 and also had a 50 game suspension that year for using a banned supplement.
The Phillies signed Romero to a three-year, $12MM deal in November of '07, even though he's always demonstrated big control problems. Romero, who says he's got "a brand new arm," joins Scott Downs, Pedro Feliciano, Arthur Rhodes, and others on the lefty relief free agent market.
Who are the Phils going to get as another lefty BP arm? Feliciano would be pretty good, he’s the definition of a LOOGY
he’s pretty awful. i’d rather let werth go and sign scott downs and re-sign chad durbin than keep werth and have an awful bullpen again like last year.
This was one of the most predictable, bet-the-house, 99.9% certain, off-season moves of the year. Did anyone really think the Phillies would pay Romero $4.5 million instead of $250,000? I don’t think Romero expected anything differently either.
Romero had a 4.9 BB/9 for his career when he signed that deal, and a 5.6 BB/9 over the five seasons prior to it. I still can’t understand what on Earth the Phillies were thinking. The fact that he managed a 3.04 ERA over the course of that contract in spite of walking 6.4/9 is a modern miracle. I wonder how many inherited runners Madson and Lidge saved him in 2008… guy’s struck out 40 over the past two seasons while walking 42. He’s terrible.I wish I’d grown up learning how to do things left-handed. I may have beaned two hitters and walked two more in two innings the last time I ever pitched in Little League, but if I’d done it left-handed, I could’ve been a millionaire. Dang.
Lol at first I’m like that HAS to be a typo, but it isn’t.
As you said, that has to be a huge miracle of a guy to walk over 7 batters an inning but have a mid 3’s ERA. Guess due to his BAA was pretty low (0.222)
and he’s a confirmed ‘roid user
Not that it matters, but it wasn’t roids. It was a supplement from GNC that the MLB recently banned players from using.
doesn’t even matter he’ll probably be resigned for a lower price.
JC was living right during his time with the Phillies
His WPA was over 4 (and over 2.5 in about have a season alone in 07) from 2007-2010 but his WAR was negative. And his BABIP and HR rate in high leverage spots were both consistently below career averages
He got a lot of big outs for the team but I’m very very glad we probably won’t get a chance to see him correct to an 8.00 ERA next year
Looks like The Bastardo will take over as the main lefty.
The Phillies starters are going to be pitching deep next year, since the only, (I don’t want to say reliable…) consistent relievers will probably be Madson and Lidge. (if we’re lucky)
Maybe he can do some MMA or Professional Wrestling… He and Raul Ibanez could form a pretty formidable tag team. JC snaps at fans and beats them up, and Raul snaps at reporters like a roided up wrestler filming a promo for the next PPV.
Any chance the Phillies make a play for Downs?
That depends on whether he’s offered Arbitration. If he is, I doubt they’ll burn a 1st round pick on him…even though they’re getting 2 picks thanks to Werth. Even if he isn’t, the Phillies simply might not have the cash to pay Downs with all their other payroll commitments ($145 million to 16 players right now).
Any chance the Phillies make a play for Downs?
I’d like to see the Phils sign either Downs or Fuentes to be the LH-setup man/part time closer when Lidge gets hurt. They have a solid rotation, now they need to firm up the back end of the bullpen. They have young/organizational arms to fill the middle relief roles.
I’d have to think Downs would be cheaper since your paying the markup on an overrated closer with Fuentes. But Fuentes is a B free agent right ? so who knows, since he’d prob sign a two year deal for more money. Or, you give up the draft pick for down get him for a longer period and prob spend about the same.