Do The Cardinals Have Another Trade In Them?

"The Cardinals have been one of the winter's busiest teams. , Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado were all shipped elsewhere to clear salary and add some young talent. The crown jewel on the team's offseason was the three-team trade that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in exchange for two Competitive Balance draft picks and a package of prospects headlined by top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje."

"Even so, additional trades can't be ruled out. There is still one more rental player on the team's roster who has garnered interest from teams: southpaw JoJo Romero. Romero has been connected to several teams this winter, including the Mariners, Orioles, and Yankees. Given how quickly the bullpen market moved in free agency this offseason, Romero could have particular value to a team like the Yankees or Twins that was known to be in the market for relief help but didn't end up landing"

"The Cardinals could prefer to put Romero in the ninth inning throughout the first half, let him accumulate experience in the closer role, and market him as such at the trade deadline, when virtually every contender will be on the prowl for bullpen help. There's certainly some merit to that option, but it's possible a bullpen-needy team would pay more for a full year of Romero now than over the summer."

The Cardinals completed multiple offseason moves, trading away Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado and executing a three-team deal that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle for Competitive Balance picks and prospects including Jurrangelo Cijntje. The roster remains largely under team control for several seasons, and the club has cleared playing time for younger players. Southpaw JoJo Romero has drawn interest from the Mariners, Orioles, Yankees, and others after a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings in 2025. Romero posted a 4.10 SIERA with an 11.4% walk rate and 21.6% strikeout rate. The Cardinals could either showcase Romero as a closer to boost deadline value or trade him now for immediate return.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors