The St. Louis Cardinals have a busy few months ahead of them. This offseason will feature them making some big trades and sending some of their stars to contending teams while they focus on rebuilding for the future.
The most obvious trade candidates are Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado, and the expectation is that all three will be traded before spring training. However, trade interest is not limited to just those three players.
Left-hander JoJo Romero will be a free agent after the 2026 season. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the veteran reliever has also drawn some trade interest.
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Cardinals Could Receive A Good Package For Romero
Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Romero split closing duties with Riley O’Brien after Ryan Helsley was traded at the deadline this past season. He went 4-6 with a 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances and recorded eight saves in 2025.Â
With one year left until free agency, Romero is an attractive trade piece for St. Louis, and it would ultimately make sense for the Cardinals to trade him to avoid losing him in free agency for nothing more than a draft pick.
This could allow the Cardinals to clear some room for some of their younger arms and give somebody like Ryan Fernandez, who was solid in 2024, another chance to prove himself.
Perhaps arms such as Gordon Graceffo, Tink Hence and Andre Granillo could be granted an opportunity, or the Cardinals can go out and sign a veteran reliever to a one-year deal. But Romero probably won’t be back with St. Louis for 2027, so trading him now makes sense as they try to rebuild and create a younger roster for 2026 and beyond.
Teams should be willing to offer the Cardinals a solid return for Romero. Chaim Bloom is seeking young and controllable starting pitching in trades, so if he targets that in return, St. Louis could receive pieces that could help them as soon as next season.
The Cardinals have a lot of important work to do, but Bloom seems to be up to the challenge and is willing to make some tough decisions, even if they aren’t popular ones. We’ll see what Romero’s market looks like in the coming weeks and what teams will show interest.
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