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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero
The St. Louis Cardinals have not been nearly the kind of team they have wanted to be over the last couple of years. That has seemingly led to somewhat of a rebuild.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals agreed to a trade to send veteran star third baseman Nolan Arenado out of town. He was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In addition to the Arenado trade, St. Louis also parted ways with starting pitcher Sonny Gray, catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras, and second baseman Brendan Donovan. All four players were key pieces from last season, but the Cardinals traded them away.
With those moves being made, the question remains whether or not St. Louis is done. There are still players on the roster who could be potential trade candidates. One Cardinals legend has spoken out with his belief that there are more moves coming.
St. Louis Cardinals Legend Hints at More Trade Activity Soon
During an appearance on “Cardinal Territory,” Lance Lynn spoke out with a bold outlook for the future in St. Louis. He made it clear that he expects more trade activity from the team and even name-dropped a couple of players.
“I mean it’s pretty obvious it’s a rebuild,” Lynn said. “There’s really no other way to say it. I think you’re just waiting for Lars [Nootbaar] and JoJo to be sent off, and I think if Lars didn’t have the surgery this offseason, he would already be gone, so maybe those are two pieces that you could package together this year during the trade deadline.”
Both of those players do seem like legitimate trade candidates.
Romero is coming off of a quality season in 2025 for the Cardinals. He appeared in 65 games out of the bullpen, compiling a 4-6 record to go along with a 2.07 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, a 1.9 K/BB ratio, eight saves, 24 holds, and one blown save. He completed 61 innings of work.
Nootbaar, on the other hand, played in 135 games for St. Louis last year. He hit 13 home runs to go along with 48 RBI and a slash line of .234/.325/.361.
How Did the Cardinals Fare During the MLB Offseason?
Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently took a look at the offseason that each team put together. When it came to the Cardinals, he gave them a “B” grade.
Among the notable additions for St. Louis were starting pitcher Dustin May in free agency on a one-year, $12.5 million deal and a lot of young talent via their trades. There were no major splash moves for the Cardinals this offseason.
At this point in time, Lynn does appear to be correct. St. Louis is headed into a rebuild. There is no telling how deep that rebuild will go, but the Cardinals don’t look close to being a contender heading into the 2026 season.
It will be very interesting to see what moves St. Louis makes ahead of the trade deadline this year. Romero and Nootbaar are both worth keeping an eye on.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
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