The San Diego Padres have found recent success with a formula of pitching chaos and openers. With a pitching staff in need of reinforcements of any kind, a low-cost acquisition could allow San Diego to allocate resources to other trade targets. 

The last year and a half have not been the kindest to former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, but he appears to be rising from the ashes.

For context, the longtime Jay signed with the Phillies for the 2025 season but suffered through the worst season of his Major League career. Romano pitched in 49 games for the Phillies, posting an 8.23 ERA and 18.2% HR/FB rate in 42.2 innings. The right-hander struck out 47 while walking 17, marks which were good for a 25.1% K rate and 9.1% walk rate respectively.

Part of the issue was that when baserunners reached against him, they scored 51% of the time; yes, Romano’s left-on-base rate was an abysmal 49%. It doesn’t matter how good of a pitcher one is, nobody is posting good numbers with a LOB rate below 50%. 

Jordan Romano bounces back?

1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 11 P

3 Whiffs
50.0 Whiff%
45.5 CSW%

His strike% was 72.7% — up from 51.7% in his previous outing

His FF velo sat 96.5 MPH (+1.6 MPH from 2024)

I still like Romano for this year#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/xYrIZWVaXw

— Joseph Cammisa (@jmcammisa) March 31, 2025

The right-hander missed the final month of the season and the Phillies’ NLDS matchup due to finger numbness and neck stiffness, becoming a free agent at the end of the season.

The Los Angeles Angels took a flier on the right-hander, and he opened the season as the Angels’ interim closer due to injuries elsewhere on the roster. Romano pitched six scoreless appearances to open the season, picking up four saves for the Halos.

A trip to New York, however, saw the right-hander allow five runs on nine hits and three walks in the Bronx over two appearances. Romano only picked up one out over those two games before rebounding with two scoreless innings across his next two games. This brief stretch included April 17 in Anaheim against the Padres, where he struck out three of four Padres faced.

A four-run drubbing at the hands of the Royals saw the Angels give up, designating Romano for assignment on April 26 to make room for former Padre Joey Lucchesi. Romano would end up being released the next day. Romano was soon signed by the Rockies, and pitched to a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings between Rookie ball and Triple-A before being promoted. 

Yankees vs. Jordan Romano over the last five years pic.twitter.com/GPYn3SCTil

— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 14, 2026

In a month’s worth of time at the Major League level, Romano has rebuilt his stock somewhat, even if it is in a small sample. As of the writing of this article, Romano has pitched in seven games for the Rockies, pitching to a 1.35 ERA and 2.21 FIP in 6.2 innings. The right-hander has picked up four saves and one hold in that span, striking out nine and walking four.

His fastball and slider have returned to being his most-used offerings after experimenting with a splitter with the Angels. Romano’s pitches have seen some of their life return, as he averages 94.2 mph on the fastball and 84.6 mph on the slider as well. While the Fangraphs model of Stuff+ has not been particularly fond of his stuff, his ability to locate his pitches has graded out as above average, posting Location+ scores over 100 in five of seven outings. He’s been able to withstand the altitude of Coors Field as well, fanning seven and walking none across four outings there. 

Not sure if the Padres are looking for bullpen help… but if they are, I would like to see them acquire Jordan Romano.

3.59 FIP in 13.2 MLB innings this season, with seven saves as well. Could fill in as a 6th inning guy for the Pads, giving Bradgley more high leverage work? pic.twitter.com/ZZ2MMXKaUu

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) July 24, 2026

Would there be risk in the Padres making such an acquisition?

There is risk in any acquisition, especially with the volatile nature of relief pitching in the Major Leagues. However, if San Diego makes this move, the move would be a low-risk move. Romano is only due the prorated league minimum down the stretch, so if he flops, the Padres could move on. If he continues his Rockies form in the brown and gold, he could slot into the middle of the Padres’ bullpen.

Jeremiah Estrada is currently working his way back from a knee injury, and has made rehab appearances at Triple-A. David Morgan is also on rehab assignment, pitching down in the Arizona Complex League. Jason Adam currently projects to return to the Majors by the end of August, though little is known about his status. Bringing in a one-inning arm like Romano gives the team further depth in the middle relief corps, also allowing Bradgley Rodriguez to take on more high-leverage innings.

Adding Romano would mean jettisoning another arm from the roster, but would also change the makeup of this pitching staff. While the Padres have used the “pitching chaos” strategy to success in recent days, they have made it no secret that they are looking for starting pitching depth. Should the Padres add a starter to fill innings while Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta work their way back from injury, bringing in Jordan Romano deepens the bullpen at a minimal cost.

Colorado would be wise to sell high (sort of) on Romano, and while he won’t demand a premium, the Padres have the capital to make a deal happen.

Colorado is constantly in need of pitching depth. They are also rumored to have Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak, and Willi Castro, so they may need a fourth outfielder while they free up playing time for younger players like Zac Veen and Charlie Condon.

San Diego could send a close-to-MLB reliever or outfielder to the Rockies in this swap. Tirso Ornelas comes to mind as a player to fit this bill, as he is in the midst of a resurgent season at Double-A. Ornelas has posted a 111 wRC+, 12 home runs, 24 doubles, and 21.2% pull-air rate with the Missions. He is also making more contact in the zone while being much more selective at the plate. Despite a 43.6% swing percentage, Ornelas is making contact on pitches in the zone 89.2% of the time, which puts him in the 93rd percentile among Double-A batters. Ornelas was recently placed back on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects list for the Padres system, though whether that is earned or not remains up for debate.

Should the Padres want to send a pitcher to Colorado in the trade, an arm like El Paso’s Evan Fitterer comes to mind. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.99 ERA in the Pacific Coast League, with an ERA 32% better than league average; his FIP is also 9% better than league average per ERA-. Any one of these two players gives the Rockies a player who can help them finish the season while getting their first extended chances at MLB playing time. 

TIRSOOOO ORNELASSSS ☄️

3-Run HR from Tirso gets us on the board early! pic.twitter.com/wQq3zZCkhV

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) June 17, 2026

With A.J. Preller always looking to fortify his bullpen, taking a flier on a somewhat-resurgent Jordan Romano would give the Padres another middle inning to setup-quality reliever in a bullpen that has kept the team in contention for as long as it has. It takes contributions from all parts of a roster to last all 162, and adding another middle relief arm lessens the load on the Padres’ big guns at the back end. 

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.