This Angels reliever could be a prime trade chip if his bounce-back continues

Save for a very ugly blown save against the New York Yankees earlier this week, right-handed reliever Jordan Romano has been lights out for the Los Angeles Angels in 2026. While you can't simply erase an outing from a pitcher's ledger, prior to that blown save against the Yankees, the 32-year-old owned a 1.59 FIP that backed up his scoreless season to that point.

The Angels have surprisingly found themselves in the thick of a clustered group of would-be AL West contenders. But if the Halos sink back into their losing ways, Romano is going to be a prime trade chip when the MLB trade deadline arrives in July.

Jordan Romano could fetch the Angels a nice return at the trade deadline

The Ryan Helsley deal from a year ago might be a good place to start in terms of asking price. The Cardinals dealt their longtime closer for three prospects — Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Elissalt — one of whom was a top-20 fixture in their farm system.

Like Romano, Helsley was a rental, though the latter's salary ($8.2 million) far exceeds the figure the Angels' closer is making this year ($2 million). That kind of cheap contract will make Romano a fit for any team's payroll, which means his market won't be limited to big-market clubs.

Romano's pain points reared their ugly heads during that blown save outing in New York. He walked two batters and surrendered a home run. Keeping the ball in the park and consistent command have haunted Romano since he was an All-Star in Toronto.

The Angels will obviously need to debate the merits of trading their closer if things fall off the rails. Kirby Yates and Ben Joyce remain on the mend from their injuries, and Robert Stephenson is out for the year following elbow surgery. The relief corps is being held together by Silly Putty and Scotch tape at the moment, and trading Romano would practically eliminate any semblance of stability.

This will be an ongoing conversation for the remainder of the first half. Whether he sticks around past the trade deadline or not, it would be of great benefit to the Angels if Romano can get back to his scoreless ways in the ninth inning.

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