Blue Jays Make Too Much Sense as Cardinals Trade Partner in 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays would make sense as trade partners this season.

Apr 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

When the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline arrives, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to have a few intriguing trade candidates on their hands, even if they don't completely blow things up.

When the 2026 season began, the trade chatter was loud. The Cardinals entered the season with the expectation being that it would be a season to reset with the young guys and evaluate where things are with the organization. With that being said, every veteran on the roster has had their name thrown around in trade speculation, it seems.

After taking down the Chicago Cubs on Friday, the Cardinals are now 30-25 on the season and in sole possession of second place in the National League Central. The Cardinals are 4 1/2 games back behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place. If the season were to end today, the Cardinals would be in the playoffs with the final National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals are just 1 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the top Wild Card spot.

The Cardinals Should Call The Blue Jays

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Cardinals have enough talent in the organization to shed one or two veteran pieces and still be fine in the long run in the standings. For example, JoJo Romero is going to be a free agent after the season and would bring back a pretty penny with his 2.70 ERA in 26 appearances.

The club the Cardinals should target for a Romero trade should be the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto had a tough start to the season due to injuries, but it is starting to find its footing. Still, the Blue Jays are 14th in the league right now with a 3.74 bullpen ERA. You need a better bullpen than that if you want to go on a deep run like Toronto did last year. For the Cardinals, like this past offseason, they just need high-end prospects. If the Blue Jays wanted to give up one of their top-10 prospects for Romero, that would be great. He's going to be a free agent after the season, so there's no way to know if he will return.

If the Cardinals were to trade him, they could replace him with an internal piece from Triple-A. Also, on the other hand, if the Cardinals wanted to try to flip Nolan Gorman, the Blue Jays are a team that has lost a lot of guys to injuries this season. If they were to be willing to make a move, that would open up third base and potentially give Blaze Jordan a chance in the majors.