Minnesota Twins reportedly not finalists to retain Sergio Romo

The Minnesota Twins reliever will make a decision on where he signs in the coming days, but it doesn’t appear the Twins are a finalist.

The trade deadline was not kind to the Minnesota Twins last July, but if there was one thing that went right, it was the acquisition of reliever Sergio Romo. With the Twins’ bullpen in flux, Romo’s veteran presence momentarily calmed it down and became one of Minnesota’s most reliable relievers down the stretch.

However, Romo was seen as a rental and as the hot stove continues to heat up, it appears that the right-hander is close to making a decision on where he will sign for 2020. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that Romo has three teams in mind for his next destination and that a decision is anticipated at next week’s winter meetings in San Diego.

The Twins have shown interest in bringing the 36-year old (who will turn 37 in March) back, but KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson broke the news that out of the three teams that Romo is considering, the Twins are not one of them. Wolfson also noted, however, that things can change quickly and Minnesota could still sneak their way back into the discussion.

A decision not to bring back Romo would be an unpopular one with Twins fans as his personality and performance on the mound provided a boost to Minnesota’s playoff push last season. Romo posted a 3.18 ERA in 22 2/3 innings after coming over from Miami last July and even reached out some of the younger pitchers including taking Randy Dobnak shopping prior to a road trip in Texas.

With the Twins also having a slew of young pitchers such as Zack Littell, Tyler Duffey and Trevor May blossom into bigger roles in the second half, it’s possible that the Twins see Romo as expendable and may look to roll with what they have or see what else is available.

Heyman’s colleague Jon Morosi also reported that one potential destination is the Oakland Athletics, although that is anything far from confirmed. With the Twins looking to add plenty of new faces to their staff, it appears that Romo could join Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez on the way out.