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Phillies’ Rob Thomson Responds to Criticism

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Ostrowski | Last updated May 14, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have made plenty of splash moves in recent offseasons. Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, and Matt Strahm are notable names they've signed in free agency. But the past two have been much quieter, with the club opting for smaller fixes.

At first, it didn't go over well with fans this year - especially when top bullpen acquisition Jordan Romano struggled mightily out of the gates. But manager Rob Thomson isn't quick to forget that with Romano now returning to form.

"There's been a lot made of our front office not making any moves this offseason," Thomson said after Wednesday afternoon's game. "Well, that's a pretty big move right there. He's been pitching great for us."

Romano was signed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract to serve as a replacement for the departing Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez. But while those two got off to great starts elsewhere, the reverse was true for Romano, who pitched to an unsightly ERA of 15.26 through April 19th.

Since then, the script has completely flipped. Hoffman is in his own nightmare stretch for Romano's old team, the Toronto Blue Jays, while the new Phillies' reliever has rebounded nicely. He's allowed only one earned run in his last 7.2 innings, and Wednesday, he struck out the side in the ninth to secure his fourth save of the season.

"He was outstanding for us today," Thomson said. "The changeup is really improving, the slider is really improving. First pitch strikes, he really attacked the zone. He was really good."

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"There's been a lot made of our front office not making any moves this offseason. Well, thats a pretty big move right there." Rob Thomson speaks up for Jordan Romano after he got his fourth save as a Phillie in game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
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Romano was in the save situation Wednesday because of another offseason acquisition. Jesús Luzardo struck out six over seven innings while allowing just one run.

The former Miami Marlin pitcher has transformed into a fringe Cy Young candidate on another NL East squad - that's no exaggeration. With a 2.00 ERA, 57 Ks in 54.1 innings, and a 1.19 WHIP, Luzardo may just be the steal of the offseason.

If Romano keeps up his turnaround, Dave Dombrowski's latest roster workshop could soon be looked at much more favorably.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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