The transactions tracker on Tommy Romero’s MLB.com player profile indicates that the Cubs have signed him to a minor league contract.
In 2017, the Mariners selected Romero, then 27 years old, in the 15th round. Shortly after, he was transferred to the Rays in the 2018 Alex Colome trade, and he played for the Rays for years until making his major league debut in 2022. Romero’s debut did not go particularly well, though, as he pitched 4 2/3 innings for Tampa, giving up a 7.71 ERA. Shortly after, he was assigned, and even though the Nationals took him off waivers, he performed even better awful in D.C., giving up eight runs (six earned) in just three and a third frames. He was non-tendered by the Nationals that November, but he remained on the 40-man roster for the rest of the 2022 campaign.
Romero’s tenure with the team did not stop there, though, as they re-signed him to a minor league contract a few months later. In 2023, he pitched as a swingman for the Nationals in Triple-A, but his performance was mediocre, as he recorded a 5.44 ERA and an unsustainable 15.2% walk rate. Romero, however, became a member of the Giants last season and performed considerably better there. Romero recorded a 3.14 ERA in 72 2/3 innings pitched at the team’s Sacramento affiliate, striking out 22.1% of batters while walking 12.4% of them. On paper, the figures seem reasonable enough, yet they turn into all themore remarkable when you take into account that Romero was pitching in the highly competitive offensive setting of the Pacific Coast League. Romero has a career minor league ERA of 3.08, and 2023 was the only season in which he recorded an ERA greater than 3.24 at any level. That season was part of a strong body of performance for Romero generally.
Romero did not rejoin affiliated ball for the 2025 season, despite having a successful platform season and an overall strong record. He went to the Mexican League instead, where he pitched for the Guerreros de Oaxaca, despite having a 7.27 ERA in two starts. Romero has returned to affiliated ball with the Cubs following his brief stint to the south, and he may eventually be included in the team’s starting depth. In addition to losing depth alternatives like Brandon Birdsell and Javier Assad to the league, it would be ludicrous to expect a minor league journeyman to replicate the output of injured front-end arms Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga Romero could more likely replace the injured list this year. Additionally, the club’s Triple-A rotation now has openings due to the recent promotions of experienced starter Chris Flexen and top prospect Cade Horton to the major leagues.
Romero might pitch his way into a Chicago opportunity if enough injuries occur, so maybe he’ll fill one of those openings. Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Ben are now the team’s rotation options on the major league roster. Horton, Flexen, Brown, and Colin Rea. This group includes two young pitchers who are expected to have their innings controlled after missing the majority of the previous season, as well as many veteran arms with extensive injury histories. That gives the Cubs plenty of space for depth arms to play in the major leagues, though Romero is probably going to be ranked lower on the team’s depth chart than players like Jordan Wicks and Connor Noland.
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