Sergio Romo follows Brian Wilson's path to the rival Dodgers
In a case of history repeating itself, another once-popular San Francisco Giants closer is headed south to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to MLB Network’s Paul Morosi, the Dodgers have reached a one-year agreement with Sergio Romo. He’ll follow in the footsteps of three-time All-Star Brian Wilson, who famously signed with the Dodgers during the 2013 season. The Giants had let Wilson walk away the previous winter after he needed Tommy John surgery.
Financial terms for Romo have not been released yet. While the two sides have agreed to a contract, the move is still pending a physical. Once that gets sorted out, we should find out how much the Dodgers are paying Romo in 2017. The 33-year-old did miss time last season with an elbow injury, but was able to return and pitch well for the team down the stretch.
The Dodgers are hoping signing Romo goes better than signing Wilson. They ended up eating $9.5 million after Wilson proved to be a shell of his former. He was released on Dec. 20, 2014 after posting a 3.77 ERA in 79 games.
Instead, the Dodgers are playing it safe with a one-year deal that feels like a solid bet on their part. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Romo has the late-inning experience that every team covets, having notched 75 saves for San Francisco. He also has big-game experience, having appeared in 27 postseason games. He racked up four saves during the 2012 postseason, helping San Francisco to its second of three World Series wins since 2010. And Romo’s famous slider, when it’s on point, can be a nice out-pitch.
Romo lost his closer’s job in 2014 and has seen his velocity dip slightly over the past few seasons. He also missed three months with a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow last summer.Despite his struggles here and there, Romo still has a career ERA of 2.58 over nine seasons. When healthy, Romo still looks the part of a credible reliever, which is what the Dodgers are banking on here.
We’re banking on it too, because it would definitely be fun to watch Romo return to AT&T Park with some big division games on the line. That level type of drama and intensity can’t be manufactured, but it’s something we all live for.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
