J.C. Romero Opts Out of Contract, Could Be Close to Deal with Cleveland

J.C. Romero has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract with the Washington Nationals and the veteran left-hander is reportedly close to a new deal with the Cleveland Indians, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. Romero could potentially join Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate by Thursday.

Romero has made 13 appearances on the year, pitching to a 2.84 ERA and 1.342 WHIP over 12.2 IP. He’s been on the minor league disabled list, however, and hasn’t pitched at all since May 8th.

Normally used as a lefty-specialist, Romero has been rather well travelled over the course of a 14 year career. He’s thrown 661.1 IP across 680 appearances in the Major Leagues, posting a 4.16 ERA and 1.511 WHIP over that stretch with the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. He’s also seen some time in the minor league organizations of the Nationals, Indians, and New York Yankees.

While Romero’s decision to opt-out of his deal with Washington doesn’t necessarily come across as a surprise – the team did turn to other left-handed options first when a need arose, though it’s unclear how much Romero’s injury played into those decisions – it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to earn his way back onto a Major League roster this season.