Camila Sosa
The American League West Division team continues to prepare to reach the postseason in 2022, and after having one of the strongest bullpens last season, the Seattle Mariners do not want to be left behind in the new competition by reaching an agreement with pitcher Sergio Romo for the rest of the current season. The 39-year-old veteran will go through the seventh team in his 14-year career once he takes the mound with the team led by Scott Servais.
His salary, according to reports, is of $2M dollars as a base with a bonus of $250,000 dollars, without giving details about the bonus. Besides, a medical examination is still pending so as to corroborate that Romo has everything in order in terms of his health and his physique before the Opening Day of the MLB.
Last season the right-hander played in his full capacity with the Oakland Athletics, accumulating a 4.67 ERA in 66 games, also adding a total of three saves in seven opportunities, 12 holds, WHIP of 1.25, 60 strikeouts, and nine home runs allowed through 61.2 episodes. Despite his high ERA, Romo had a more than useful season in limiting his hitters to a .238 batting average, which was enough for Jerry Dipoto (president of Mariners operations) to convince him as a backup for the Seattle bullpen.
The Mexican-American has been selected to the All-Star Game once and has won three World Series rings, all with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014 while serving as one of their key pieces in the bullpen. He has a lifetime ERA of 3.22, a WHIP of 1.04, 137 saves and 775 strikeouts in 704.2 innings pitched.
The Mariners’ collective of relievers was one of the best during the 2021 season, scoring the fourth-best mark in fWAR of all major leagues. Names like Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, Diego Castillo and the return of Ken Giles and Andrés Muñoz from injuries, gives a more than reliable foundation so that a Seattle team that was very close to entering the playoffs (with a record of 90-72) can continue to give great responsibilities to their relays in 2022.
The Seattle Mariners have been one of the busiest teams during the pre-season and in re-activating the market after the MLB work stoppage, acquiring Cincinnati Reds duo Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez a couple of weeks ago. In turn, they also signed incumbent American League Cy Young Robbie Ray to a contract of more than $100 billion. The signing of Sergio Romo puts the Mariners’ salary budget at a total of $106 billion in 2022, the highest mark since the 2019 campaign, and just $52 million behind the all-time record in the franchise.
It is possible that this amount will be equaled or exceeded depending on the future movements of the Seattle organization, who will not remain calm as in past occasions.
