Former Cardinal's late night free agent deal clears path for Chaim Bloom's next trade

Not much action occurred in the world of baseball during the first full day of the MLB Winter Meetings down in Orlando, but that didn't mean we weren't going to get some late-night action in the midst of it. And this deal involves the St. Louis Cardinals on multiple fronts.

Former Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz, who had a resurgent season in the final year of his contract that led to him being flipped at the trade deadline to the Boston Red Sox, just secured a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The news was first reported by Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and then confirmed by ESPN's Jeff Passan.

While there was a bit of talk that Matz could reunite with the Cardinals this offseason in their quest to add a veteran arm to their mix, his deal with the Rays actually helps clear a path for the Cardinals to make one of their next big trades.

Cardinals' lefty JoJo Romero should be an even hotter trade candidate after Steven Matz's signing

Looking out at the free agency, one of the clear weaknesses this year is the left-handed reliever market. Teams know the importance of having great lefties in their bullpen though, so contenders will turn over every stone to make sure they have enough arms to begin the 2026 season.

JoJo Romero is arguably the best name available this offseason and is coming off a dominant season out of the Cardinals' bullpen. In 65 appearances, Romero posted a 2.07 ERA, and while he wasn't a strikeout machine, he found a way to neutralize both left-handed and right-handed hitters. Lefties were only able to muster up a .211/.287/.244 slash line against Romero, while righties didn't do much better with a .220/.327/.315 slash on the year.

The Cardinals would be wise to move on from Romero this offseason, as though it's nice to have good relievers on hand, he has just one year of control remaining and does not fit their rebuilding window. Many, including myself, argued that they should have traded him at the trade deadline, but now it is Chaim Bloom's job to maximize the return on Romero.

Brendan Donovan remains their best trade chip this offseason, but outside of perhaps Willson Contreras, you could argue that Romero may be the next most valuable asset they can move, assuming they aren't going to trade the likes of Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, or Lars Nootbaar. Having the market shrink by another name could accelerate a deal for Romero, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Romero's market was at its "heighted potential" even before the Winter Meetings began.

It is very possible that we see both Donovan and Romero traded in the next 48 hours, as just as Romero's market appears to be heating up, so have the rumors increased regarding a Donovan trade as well.