Viewing the Cardinals trade deadline moves through a two-year-old's eyes

One of the greatest joys of fatherhood for me has been passing down my Cardinals fandom.  There are few things in life that make me happier than watching my little ones decide on their favorite player, reminisce about Jordan Walker’s home run derby heroics, or use the term “Cub” to describe anything distasteful in life.

I had to see the flip side of that fandom, though, earlier this week.

We often use “JoJo” as a nickname for my youngest son, so he naturally picked JoJo Romero as his favorite player.  He’s only two, but he was ecstatic watching him pitch in person back in March during the home opener thriller, and his first question when we turn the game on is always whether I think Romero will make an appearance that night.  (“His arm is too tired to play right now” he’ll announce to his mother and brother after I explain why I don’t think we’ll see him.)  It’s quite possible he’s the only person in the country with a Romero jersey who’s not related to JoJo.

Trading JoJo Romero wasn't easy for this Cardinals fan

So, as this year’s trade deadline approached, and the departure of Romero seemed imminent, I was torn. My head told me a deal would be wise for the rebuilding Redbirds. My heart, both as a fan but more as a father, was dreading it.  Plus, I had just bought him that jersey!

As the hours ticked down on Monday, I thought there might be a chance Romero would stay a Card. And then the news alert from the MLB app hit my phone, a package deal for both May and Romero. And, to make matters worse, they were going to the Brewers, a division rival.

The Cardinals finish the season against Milwaukee so, barring a run to the final wild card spot, it’s quite possible my son’s final memory of the 2026 season may involve seeing Romero pitch for a rival, the current class of the division.

Now, as a fan, this trade was undoubtedly a good one.  The prospects the Cardinals received -  Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias – are exciting additions to a deepening farm system, and well worth trading two expiring contracts.  Every analysis of the trade that I’ve seen – for whatever those could possibly be worth at this point – seems to love the Cardinals’ return. 

Losing May and Romero will of course hurt the team’s chances for the rest of the year, but this year was never truly about chasing a playoff spot. So while I enjoyed spending too much time learning everything I could about Ragsdale and Frias, I still dreaded the conversation I would need to have at home.

Over dinner, I told my kids I had an announcement to make, tried to explain how player trades work in general, and then broke the news.  My son took it remarkably well, although I’m still not sure how much he fully understood. His older brother actually took it worse, fearing that must mean his favorite players – Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt – could be traded at any minute.  (He was very pleased to then learn about Wetherholt’s extension.)

The whole thing reminded me how hard these deadlines must be for the players themselves. I spent 48 hours sweating out how I might have to break the news to my son, who only enjoys watching Romero play. How hard must it be for the actual players to spend this time in limbo, not knowing where they’ll be living in a week?

Hopefully May and Romero can at least console themselves with the fact that they’ll be chasing a World Series title this year.  As for our family, we made it through our first potentially traumatic trade deadline.

Oh, and for all of my worrying over how devastating this would be? My youngest son has already decided Jordan Walker is his favorite player now.

Guess it’s time for a new jersey.

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