Blue Jays Linked to Blockbuster Trade for Superstar Cardinals Relief Pitcher
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The Toronto Blue Jays went into the offseason hungrier than ever to make some significant moves after getting their first taste of glory in over three decades in a crushing World Series Game 7 defeat.
General manager Ross Atkins has certainly acted like it by committing hundreds of millions to the pitching staff while also once again chasing down the star player Toronto has coveted for so long in free agency.
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While the pursuit of the star in Kyle Tucker fell short, perhaps the Blue Jays can turn their focus now to the trade market in order to improve even further what may have been their biggest weakness from 2025 in the bullpen.
In a recent piece from Zach Pressnell of St. Louis Cardinals on SI, he named Toronto as an ideal trade fit for St. Louis star relief pitcher JoJo Romero.
Blue Jays Named Best Fit for Cardinals Superstar JoJo Romero
"The Toronto Blue Jays are the perfect landing spot for Romero," Pressnell wrote. "The Blue Jays were one of the best teams in baseball last year, despite a bad bullpen. They won the American League and almost took the World Series title from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they ended up falling one game and one run short of the title. The bullpen was a big reason why the Blue Jays weren't more dominant."
After two promising seasons for St. Louis in 2023 and 2024, Romero entered superstar status with an absolutely brilliant 2025 campaign that saw him pitch to a 2.07 ERA over 65 appearances to account for a very impressive bWAR of 1.7.
Though the numbers are very impressive and indicate that it could take a haul to land him, Toronto may be able to pry Romero away from the Cardinals for a return that does not make them hesitate.
Blue Jays Can Likely Acquire Romero for Reasonable Return
St. Louis is clearly a team in rebuild mode who is not going to contend for anything significant this year, which of course means any and all tradable assets are on the table for other teams to come calling on.
Romero -- who is a free agent after the 2026 season -- is the definition of a tradable asset. Coming off a career season and only with one year left of team control. the Cardinals are likely looking to move on. Because it is just a one-year rental not to mention some command issues for the southpaw in 2025, a top prospect is off the table.
If Toronto could put together a package of two lower-level prospects, it likely would be enough to get a deal done to bring Romero north of the border. Adding a significant piece like the 29-year-old to the bullpen could be the exact final push the Blue Jays need to get over the hump.
Over the coming weeks, it's worth monitoring Romero and his status as St. Louis keeps unloading pieces.
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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.