J.C. Romero Released by Nationals; Signs with Yankees
By Editorial Staff
Just yesterday morning reports were coming in that J.C. Romero was considering opting out of his current minor league contract with the Nationals in order to sign with the Yankees. By dinner time the deal was done.
Romero and the Nationals had an agreement stating that if the lefty wasn’t in the bigs by July 15th he had the right to be released from his contract and become a free agent.
Even though Romero was solid in his short stint with Washington’s Triple-A team, the Nationals must not have felt comfortable enough promoting the 35 year old and thus cut him loose.
New York jumped on the opportunity to add the lefty. After injuries to Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano, the Yankees were left with Boone Logan as the only left handed reliever in their pen.
Over the years Romero has shown an ability to pitch well in tough spots and in front of big crowds, which were some of the reasons the Yankees had interest in the reliever.
"“It’s just an option that we have,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s a guy who’s pitched in tough markets, it’s a guy who’s pitched in a big market in pressure situations. So let’s just see what he does.”"
If they are satisfied with his performance in the minors, Romero could provide New York with a lefty specialist later in the summer. Even before he was released by the Phils, Romero was holding left handed hitters to a .208 batting average this season.
For more on the Nationals and Yankees, be sure to check out District on Deck and Yanks Go Yard.