"The Cardinals moved the first of what'll surely be several veterans earlier today when they traded right-hander (and $20MM) to the Red Sox for a pair of younger pitchers and a player to be named later (or cash). There's no telling right now the order in which their offseason dominos will fall, but Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports that left-handed reliever JoJo Romero has been drawing trade interest throughout the first few weeks of the offseason."
"The 29-year-old Romero came to the St. Louis from Philadelphia in 2022 and established himself as a staple in the Cardinals' bullpen beginning in 2023. Over the past three years, he's worked 156 2/3 frames with a 2.93 ERA and roughly average strikeout and walk rates (22.9 K%, 8.5 BB%). He sat 93.7 mph with his sinker this past season and kept 53% of his opponents' batted balls on the ground en route to a sparkling 2.07 ERA."
"The Cardinals' case for trading Romero is bolstered by a generally weak class of left-handed relievers on the free agent market. There are some relatively solid options out there, including Caleb Ferguson, Danny Coulombe, Hoby Milner, Justin Wilson, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz and Sean Newcomb (who quietly enjoyed a career-best season in the bullpen). Most of those southpaws will pitch next season in their mid-to-late 30s, however."
JoJo Romero has drawn trade interest from the Cardinals early in the offseason. Romero, 29, will be a free agent after 2026 with a projected $4.4MM salary in his final season of club control. He arrived from Philadelphia in 2022 and became a Cardinals bullpen staple in 2023. Over the past three years Romero has worked 156 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate, 93.7 mph sinker and a 53% ground-ball rate, posting a 2.07 ERA this season. He recorded 12 saves and 57 holds over three seasons and limited right-handed hitters to a .220/.327/.315 line in 2025. The free-agent class of lefty relievers is generally weak, with most options in their mid-to-late 30s.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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