Blue Jays’ bullpen has a new arm … and beard

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Blue Jays added a spectacular beard to their bullpen recently. Attached to that beard is Sergio Romo, a 15-year veteran chasing one more shining moment in a career filled with them.

Signed by the Blue Jays after a rough stretch with the Mariners that led to his release, the 39-year-old isn’t bringing much outside buzz or a 100-mph fastball with him. That was never Romo’s game, anyways. What he does bring, though, is a track record stretching back to his MLB debut in 2008, when he went on to play for those great Giants teams.

“I’ve been blessed to say I’ve seen quite a bit,” Romo said. “I’ve seen some winning teams and some losing teams. I’ve been with MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year, perfect games, no-hitters, the World Series. I was even blessed with the opportunity to close out a World Series. If there’s anything I know that I do bring, it is that experience. Nothing is going to surprise me at this moment.”

He’s off to a fine start, too.

Romo has made three appearances, striking out three over 2 1/3 innings. This still matters to him, and it’s evident. After each appearance, Romo’s passion spilled out as he stomped off the mound.

“I come in here fearless, happy and appreciative,” Romo said. “I’m hungry, too. I want to win. I’ve been blessed with three rings. By the end of my career, I wouldn’t mind being able to say there’s four. And to be able to do it with these young bucks who are making their own path, their own history their own way.”

This move came out of necessity for the Blue Jays, who had both Yimi Garcia and Trevor Richards on the IL at the time and continue to battle through the challenge of filling innings. The starting rotation has made that a steep hill at times with some short outings.

The Blue Jays are trying to chase strikeouts and shutdown innings, though, so some of these struggles come with a silver lining to GM Ross Atkins.

“In some ways, I feel really encouraged by the aggressiveness,” Atkins said. “The guys have really answered the bell and been a lot more aggressive, but that sometimes results in home runs and doubles. That, to me, is a better feeling than seeing several walks.”

Romo is now part of this effort, and while he doesn’t represent the top-end name many Blue Jays fans are hoping for at the Trade Deadline, this is how building a bullpen works. Eventually, the Blue Jays will have that opportunity to stack up their bullpen with more star power at the back end alongside Jordan Romano, but in the meantime, it’s about throwing a few things at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Romo has stuck before, so he might again. And besides, the Blue Jays just need a few good months, let’s call it 20 to 25 appearances.

There’s some optimism within the organization, too, that Romo was still pitching better than the numbers suggested in Seattle:

“The strikeouts and walks were relatively similar, so the peripherals were about what they’ve been over the last few years,” Atkins said. “The weapons still look to be comparable to what they’ve been in the past. I think there might be some subtle usage changes, but we’ll see.”