JoJo Romero's trade baseline revealed for Cardinals after Twins deal for AJ Minter

One of the St. Louis Cardinals' expiring contracts after the 2026 season, left-handed reliever JoJo Romero, is a name that many contending teams would benefit from having in their bullpen. And now the Minnesota Twins' trade for lefty AJ Minter gives the Cardinals an idea of what they could fetch in a trade.

Minter, 32, was having a really good season for the New York Mets, posting a 2.35 ERA in 23 appearances thus far. He is three years older than Romero and makes double the amount of money this season, which may make Romero's 3.35 ERA in 44 appearances even more attractive.

Minter was able to bring the Mets back two prospects, neither of which were in the Twins' top 30 prospects list. Billy Amick was a second-round pick in 2024 and hits the ball really hard, while Bruin Agbayani is more of a well-rounded hitting prospect at just 19 years old.

So, what does that mean for Romero's market?

JoJo Romero should draw a lot of interest for the Cardinals from contenders

I would guess that, because of the smaller cost associated with Romero and similar production, he carries a bit more value on the trade market than Minter did. If the Cardinals grab two prospects in a Romero trade, they likely sit in that 35+ FVV tier that Agbayani and Amick were around, but maybe the Cardinals could snag a 40 FVV value prospect one-for-one or even an extra throw-in on top of one.

It all depends on how many lefty relievers are moved and how desperate teams are for the ones who are remaining. Romero has shown the ability time and time again to come up big against some of the best left-handed hitters in the sport, which is a major weapon when October rolls around. Opposing teams know that, and so do the Cardinals.

At last year's trade deadline, the Cardinals were able to move Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers for Mason Molina, who is a breakout prospect in the Cardinals system, and Skyler Hales. Neither of whom was widely regarded at the time of the trade, but the Cardinals have clearly found something in Molina.

Steven Matz, who I would say was a bit less valuable than Romero at last deadline, brought the Cardinals back Blaze Jordan, who is now contributing on their Major League roster and has upside with his bat. Trading a reliever of Romero's caliber is not going to get a flashy return on paper, but the Cardinals front office has been showing the ability to identify talent they can develop from other organizations.

The Cardinals have little reason not to move Romero at this point. They have fallen flat on their face coming out of the All-Star Break, and while they remain in contention, it is trending the wrong direction in a major way. Had Romero been healthy during this stretch, there are multiple games he could have really helped them secure, but alas, they are where they are.

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