Sergio Romo is just one of a handful of longtime Giants that are hitting the open market this offseason, all of which have question marks surrounding their possible returns.
In an interview with MLB Network on Tuesday afternoon, however, the three-time World Series champion implied that he hasn’t been contacted by the organization, saying the team’s that have reached out have been unexpected.
“I can’t sit here and say it’s my first rodeo going into free agency. I don’t feel wet behind the ears. The only real difference is I’ve had teams called that I’m happy about and I’m excited about and somewhat surprised,” Romo said. “And other teams that I figured would be calling, I haven’t gotten a call yet. So I’m just sitting here waiting around, just looking forward to going to a place where I’m wanted. Wherever I sign, it’s going to be a place where they want me and they feel I can come and contribute.”
Drafted by the club in 2005, Romo has spent his entire professional career as a member of the Orange and Black, something he reiterated he’d like to continue doing, but also stated that he can find happiness somewhere else.
“To be honest, all I know is San Francisco Giants, Orange and Black. I grew up on the other side of the pendulum when it comes to the West Coast rivalry,” the Southern California native said. “I was humbled when I got drafted. In the roughly 12 seasons I’ve been in the Giants organization, minors and big leagues, I’m very proud of those years. Do I feel like I left a little bit of unfinished business there? Of course.”
“I’d love to stay here. But at the same time, I know that I can find happiness somewhere else. I understand that now. I can see that I can find some sense of joy every day going somewhere else. Talking to other players, I hear nothing but good things about every organization they’ve been in. You hear somethings that kind of make you think ‘I don’t understand,’ but it’s because I’ve never been anywhere else. So, am I open to seeing something else? Yeah. I want to go some place where I’m wanted, I want to go to a place where I can contribute and they believe in my ability to contribute every day. I’m excited about this offseason.”
Romo finished the 2016 season with a 2.64 ERA, his best mark in three seasons. Romo remains a talented, if sometimes inconsistent setup man, who still has one of the best sliders in all of baseball. Romo struck out 33 batters in just over 30 innings in 2016.