Cardinals Have ‘Obvious’ Trade Chip in JoJo Romero

The St. Louis Cardinals have been great, but there could still be guys on the move.

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of Major League Baseball's most pleasant surprises so far this season.

The Cardinals have played 35 games and already have won 21 of them. In comparison, the Cardinals didn't win their 21st game until game No. 40 in 2025. At the time, the Cardinals were 21-19. Right now, St. Louis is already seven games above .500 heading into a series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.

Hopefully, the good times continue for St. Louis. The young Cardinals have been good in pretty much every aspect of the game, outside of the bullpen. While this is the case, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has already insinuated that the plan for the season hasn't shifted despite the early success. Don't expect some sort of splash from the club this season as they continue this rebuild. St. Louis isn't going to mortgage the future for the present. This is the right call as the Cardinals try to build a sustainable winner.

The Cardinals Will Be A Team To Watch Around The Trade Deadline

Apr 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

With that being said, it wouldn't shock anyone to see the Cardinals trade away a veteran piece or two this season as we inch closer to the trade deadline in August. But, who could be an option to go? Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller floated JoJo Romero as the Cardinals' "most likely" trade chip.

"St. Louis Cardinals: LHP JoJo Romero," Miller wrote. "Contract: $4.26M, free agent this winter. The jury is still out on whether the Cardinals are a legitimate contender. They're seven games over .500 and red hot as of late, but that was also true in late June last season en route to becoming deadline sellers—and this team sure does seem to be punching above its designed weight class. Should the Red Birds ultimately fade, the obvious top trade chip is Romero. He already has 11 holds, and he's one of the only impending free agents on this roster."

Miller certainly isn't wrong here. If there is anyone on the Cardinals' roster right now who would make sense to flip, it would be Romero. Last year, the Cardinals traded three relievers before the trade deadline in Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton. Relievers are always a hot topic around the deadline each year. When it comes to Romero, he'll be a free agent after the 2026 season comes to an end and has a 3.71 ERA in 17 appearances so far this season for St. Louis. In 2025, he had a 2.07 ERA in 65 outings.

Romero was one of the veterans talked about as a trade candidate his past offseason, but didn't end up getting moved. It would be a bit surprising if the chatter didn't pick up around the summer deadline.