Blue Jays Could Make One Final Huge Trade Before Opening Day in Bullpen Splash
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The Toronto Blue Jays went into the offseason looking to make some real upgrades following their first taste of World Series glory in more than three decades and coming so close to winning it all.
General manager Ross Atkins has been relentless with improvements to the roster, spending hundreds of millions on the pitching staff to bolster both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Toronto does look to be in a better spot here than they were a year ago, but you can never have enough pitching.
It would not be a shock to see Atkins make one more move before Opening Day, and it feels like this Blue Jays bullpen could use another southpaw in what is a very righty-heavy unit as things currently stand.
Given they have been linked several times throughout the offseason, perhaps Atkins could look to swing a deal with the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals to bring veteran left-hander JoJo Romero to Toronto.
Blue Jays Could Still Swing Deal for JoJo Romero with Cardinals
If there's one weakness Toronto still has -- and an area every team should always be looking to add more to -- it's the bullpen, and the unit as things currently stands has significantly more right-handed help than left.
Romero is coming off the best season of his career and is on a St. Louis team which has no real chance to win in 2026. On top of that, the 29-year-old is a free agent after this season, making him the most expendable asset possible as a rental relief pitcher on a non-contender.
In all likelihood, the Cardinals are going to deal Romero away, it's just a matter of when and to who. If the Blue Jays don't stay on top of this, the left-hander could wind up with one of Toronto's reliever-needy rivals who are trying to knock them off the pedestal in the American League.
Before that happens, Atkins had better act fast and make the move if a package can come together.
What Romero Could Cost Blue Jays in Trade
On one hand, St. Louis does not have a whole lot of leverage given that they on paper should want to trade Romero to a contending team and have just one more year of control. On the other, numerous teams want him and the Cardinals certainly don't have to make a move.
Pitching to a 2.07 ERA and 1.7 bWAR over 61 innings in 2025, Romero is as coveted an asset still available on the market, and teams are certainly willing to part with prospects. It's unlikely that he would cost any sort of top level guy, and if that's the asking price Toronto should back off.
A package headlined a couple of mid-level prospects could make a whole lot of sense here and wind up being fair compensation to secure a lefty boost in the bullpen. Whether or not Atkins can pull it off or not remains to be seen, however he certainly should be on the phone and calling.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.