Ranking the Cardinals 8 most valuable trade candidates to jumpstart their rebuild

#6 - JoJo Romero

The next two names on this list are players that I think you could make a strong argument that they should have been traded at this past trade deadline.

JoJo Romero, who came over to the Cardinals for Edmundo Sosa back in 2022, has been a critical part of the Cardinals' bullpen since being acquired and was one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball during the 2025 season. In 41 appearances prior to the trade deadline, Romero posted a 2.04 ERA out of the Cardinals' bullpen, holding opposing hitters to a .218/.303/.298 slash line. He was virtually unhittable to left-handed hitters, posting a 0.56 ERA and .184 BAA against the 64 lefties he faced.

The Cardinals rightfully slipped Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz at the deadline for prospects, and in making those moves, waived the white flag in the 2025 season. So...why not move Romero as well?

Romero finished the 2025 campaign with a 2.07 ERA, so he didn't regress after the deadline, but any team acquiring him back in July would have had him for two postseason runs, which should have made him more valuable than he is now. And as we saw with Ryan Helsley last offseason, it is hard to find a good deal to trade a high-end reliever in his walk year during the winter when teams can just sign guys instead.

But, if the Cardinals hold onto Romero for the 2026 season, they run the same risk that they did with Helsley, that he could fall off production-wise and lose his trade value, or experience an injury. So, while the Cardinals missed the boat by not moving him at the deadline, they really need to find a suitor this offseason for Romero.

Since reliever trade value seems to be lower in the offseason, I would not expect him to net a ton in return, but it is likely worth pulling the trigger now anyway, rather than crossing your fingers that he is a valuable piece when the deadline comes around next July. The Cardinals taking that risk with Helsley made more sense due to how dominant he's been throughout his career, but Romero doesn't have that same pedigree.

There should be plenty of contending teams that would be interested in acquiring Romero this offseason. Shutting down left-handed bats is critical when it comes to making playoff runs, so adding a weapon like Romero would be in the best interest of a lot of clubs. My guess is most teams would rather just sign a reliever instead, but there should be at least a few who demonstrate serious interest in getting a deal done with St. Louis.