Latest trade suggests JoJo Romero could net the Cardinals a hefty return

The baseball rumor mill is reaching a fever pitch as we inch toward the Winter Meetings, and the St. Louis Cardinals appear ready to entertain offers for nearly all of their top commodities. We've already seen the type of return that the Cardinals' top prize, Brendan Donovan, could fetch, and if another recent deal is any indication, left-handed reliever JoJo Romero could be a sought-after name in his own right.

Romero may command a respectable return after the Jose Ferrer-Harry Ford trade.

The Washington Nationals just traded Ferrer, a lefty reliever, to the Seattle Mariners for catching prospect Ford and minor league pitcher Isaac Lyon. Ferrer took over as Washington's closer after the team sent Kyle Finnegan to the Detroit Tigers, and although Ferrer held an unwieldy 4.48 ERA in 2025 and struck out an unimpressive 8.4 batters per nine innings, he displayed strong control, holding a 1.9 BB/9, and his 3.03 FIP may portend better results in the future.

The catching-starved Nationals must have been elated to receive compensation at the level of Ford, who ranks 42nd in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects rankings and is about ready for a regular role in the major leagues. The backstop hit .283 with an .868 OPS in Triple-A last season, and although he didn't display it often last season, he owns almost unthinkable speed for a catcher, as he swiped 35 bases in 2024 while he was in Double-A.

Southpaw relief pitchers are always in vogue, and Romero, who held a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings in 2025, looks to be one of the best left-handed bullpen arms on the market, especially in a down year for lefty free-agent relievers. Add in the fact that Romero showed a bit of closing aptitude down the stretch after the Cardinals traded Ryan Helsley, and some teams may be willing to pony up a pretty penny for Romero's services.

Complicating matters is the fact that Ferrer holds a much friendlier contract than Romero. Ferrer is under team control until 2029, whereas Romero only has one season of team control remaining before he reaches free agency. That could prevent the Cardinals from acquiring a prospect with Ford's ceiling since Romero will likely be seen as more of a rental piece for a contending team.

Still, Romero's projected $4.4 million salary in arbitration is lower than that of many other relief pitchers in free agency, most of whom are also older than Romero, and a team looking to win while remaining budget-conscious could be tempted to pull the trigger.

With Chaim Bloom taking the reins in the Cardinals' front office and making no secret of the team's plans to rebuild, it's highly unlikely that he repeats John Mozeliak's mistake where the former president of baseball operations failed to trade Ryan Helsley last offseason in a foolish hope at contention. Expect Romero to be wearing a different uniform within the next few weeks and the Cardinals to receive a shiny new toy or two to play with in the lower levels.