White Sox claim Jordan Romano in the Rule 5 draft from Toronto.
I can see him as a righty specialist in the pen this year and give Cooper a chance to develop his curve. Here's what mlb.com has to say about him:
An Ontario native, Romano pitched one season at Connors State JC (Okla.) before transferring to Oral Roberts and serving as the team's closer in 2014. He signed with the Blue Jays for $25,000 as a 10th-round pick that June, but he missed the entire 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound fully healthy in 2016 and impressed as part of Class A Lansing's starting rotation, his first work as a starter since 2013. He continued to make strides in the role in 2017 at Class A Advanced Dunedin, showing impressive bat-missing ability while making every start.
Romano has shown plenty of arm strength post-surgery. His fastball sits comfortably at 92-94 mph, with good life and some run, and reaches 96. He gets whiffs up in the zone with the pitch but also gets hit around at times, albeit while keeping the ball in the park. Romano's power slider gives him a second above-average pitch capable of missing bats, especially against right-handed hitters, whom he held to a .192 average in '17. Neither his curveball nor his changeup is particularly advanced, and he'll need to make the latter a viable offering to be successful against lefties at higher levels.
Most scouts think that Romano will eventually return to the bullpen given the proven effectiveness of his fastball-slider combo against same-sided hitters. But after making gains in his first two years as a dedicated starter, the Blue Jays plan to continue to develop him in that role.
