Jordan Romano is a free agent again after a difficult 2026 split between the Angels and Rockies. The former Blue Jays closer elected free agency on Oct. 29.

Colorado signed him to a minor league deal on May 6, after his time with the Angels earlier in the season.

The numbers weren't pretty. He finished 0-4 with a 5.61 ERA over 38 games, though he did collect 15 saves.

That's a long way from his Toronto peak. He was a two-time All-Star with the Jays and saved 36 games in 2023.

Then it unravelled. He pitched just 13.2 innings in 2024 with a 6.59 ERA, and his ERA climbed to 8.23 in 2025.

How does a closer fall that fast? Injuries, inconsistency and the brutal volatility of relief pitching.

Jordan Romano's decline is a warning for Louis Varland

That's exactly the point SI's Adam Steinmetz made when arguing Toronto should sell high on Louis Varland. He used Romano as a prime example of how quickly closers can fall off.

Relievers who saved 30-plus games in 2025 saw their combined saves drop 43% in 2026. Romano's career arc is that stat in human form.

Toronto has moved on in the ninth. Varland posted one of the best seasons by a reliever in franchise history, with Tyler Rogers and Spencer Miles behind him.

A Romano reunion doesn't make sense, even on a minor league deal. The Jays need lefty relief and rotation depth, not another righty trying to rediscover old form.

His career is like a favourite song that slowly went out of tune. You still remember how good it sounded, but you can't play it on repeat anymore.

He'll likely find a spot somewhere. A pitcher with that kind of track record tends to get another chance on a low-risk deal.

Toronto fans will root for him regardless. He gave the bullpen some great years before the decline set in.

Wherever he lands, the Jays should take one lesson from his story. Closers rarely stay elite for long, and Varland's value may never be higher than it is right now.