Tampa Bay Rays keeping Sergio Romo at least through 2018

In a surprise move, the Tampa Bay Rays pulled Sergio Romo off of waivers, and have no intention of trading their current closer.

As the Tampa Bay Rays continue to have their eyes on the future, they have been moving any assets that would not be a part of that plan. Even players like Chris Archer, whose team friendly contract would have seemingly made him a part of that future core, were traded. Surely, after the Rays put current closer, and former ‘opener’ Sergio Romo on waivers, he would end up being on the move.

Instead, after multiple teams claimed Romo, he was pulled back off of waivers. The Rays, despite essentially being out of playoff contention, will hold on to the versatile reliever.

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Signed to a one year, $2.5 million contract that has proven to be a bargain, Romo has been a key piece of the Rays pitching staff. He made five starts as the Rays ‘opener,’ the first five starts of his career. He has also saved 18 games this season, taking over in the closer role after Alex Colome was sent to Seattle. Romo also has eight holds as a setup man, and has pitched in every inning except the third this year. He has even played third for the Rays, when they brought in since traded reliever Jonny Venters to face a lefty. Romo wound of recording the save in that outing, the first player to record a save in a game where he appeared at third base since Joe Gedeon in 1913.

Despite his obvious value to the Rays, the decision to keep Romo is peculiar. He is a free agent after this season, and at 35 years old, would not seem to be the type of player Tampa Bay would build around. Chances are, considering how desperate contenders are for bullpen help, Romo could have brought back a decent prospect.

However, Romo may well be a veteran presence that the Rays value, someone that they could consider bringing back next season. As the opener is not going away, and Romo has experience in every possible role, he could be the perfect mentor for a young pitching staff. Perhaps just as importantly for the Rays, Romo will likely be relatively inexpensive to bring back.

The Tampa Bay Rays are keeping Sergio Romo. This may be a signal that he will be a part of the Rays plans for 2019.