The Philadelphia Phillies enter the offseason knowing their bullpen requires serious attention after struggling late in the 2026 season.
Beyond closer Jhoan Duran, manager Don Mattingly had little he could trust in high-leverage spots, with rookie Alex McFarlane standing out as the only other reliable option.
Adding offense remains a priority as well, yet the relief corps cannot be ignored if the club hopes to contend more consistently.
Past approaches, such as a minimal winter addition that failed to solve deeper issues, have underscored the need for multiple meaningful upgrades rather than a single stopgap.
Matthew Schmidt of Phillies Roundtable argues that Philadelphia should avoid overpaying for high-priced free-agent relievers given its other roster holes.
Instead of committing nearly $100 million to someone like Adrian Morejon, the team should target cost-effective arms that can stabilize the late innings without consuming too much of the budget.
One clear candidate, he notes, is left-hander JoJo Romero, a familiar name whose career has taken a much stronger turn since leaving the organization.
Schmidt points to Romero’s improved reliability as the type of practical reunion that could address the pen without creating new financial constraints.
Romero’s early years in Philadelphia offered little reason for optimism. Between 2020 and 2022 he posted a 7.89 ERA across 25 relief appearances before the Phillies traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Edmundo Sosa.
Once with the Cardinals, however, he settled into a useful role, compiling a 3.07 ERA over parts of five seasons. Midway through 2026 he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he logged a 3.38 ERA in 11 regular-season outings while also appearing in the World Series.
Across the full campaign the 30-year-old finished with a 3.36 ERA and 1.246 WHIP while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings.
His profile is not built on swing-and-miss stuff. Romero has never been a high-strikeout pitcher and he allows baserunners at a solid but unspectacular rate.
What he does well is generate ground balls at a 53.1 percent clip and work out of trouble with consistency. Those traits make him a practical late-inning option rather than a pure closer, yet still the kind of dependable arm a contending bullpen can use.
Market projections have him in the range of a multi-year deal worth roughly $27 million over four seasons, though his age makes a shorter commitment more likely.
Exploring a return would give the Phillies a known commodity who has already proven he can succeed outside of his difficult early stretch in the organization, all at a price that leaves room for other necessary additions.
