Cardinals Latest JoJo Romero Update Throws Wrench in Potential Deadline Sale

The latest on JoJo Romero.

Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) throws against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are trending in the wrong direction as the month of July nears its end. Entering Friday's slate of game, St. Louis is 8-12 this month and unlikely to make any major improvements at the trade deadline.

In fact, they're trending towards the sell side this year. It would be the third time in the last four years that the Cardinals sell at the deadline. One of their most obvious trade candidates is left-hander JoJo Romero.

He is currently on the injured list after having surgery to address appendicitis. Derrick Goold provided the latest update on Romero and what it means for the Cardinals' trade deadline plans.

"The Cardinals do not expect lefty JoJo Romero to return to the active roster when eligible after 15 days on the injured list, and that does somewhat disrupt their dealings at the trade deadline," Goold wrote.

Cardinals' JoJo Romero Update Affects Deadline Plans

Jun 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Goold notes that this won't stop teams from showing interest in him, the fact that he is going to be out a little while longer may ultimately cause his value to go down a little bit.

This also means that the Cardinals won't have much, if any time to showcase him before the deadline. This could potentially lead to him staying in St. Louis past the deadline.

While he is recovering well from his surgery, he might be losing some value, which could lead to the Cardinals not getting quite as much in return as they would have expected initially. Instead, the Cardinals may be forced to sell somebody who can get them a bigger return.

All-Star closer Riley O'Brien could be at the top of the list of players to sell at this point, as the Cardinals could get a lot more for him than they could for Romero. O'Brien is under control for three more years after 2026.

But Romero's value has likely taken a bit of a hit, and that could lead to St. Louis potentially changing their approach a little bit, which will be necessary if they can't get much for him. It's possible that he may not even return until after the deadline, so that could certainly throw a wrench in St. Louis' plans to sell.

It will be interesting to see how Chaim Bloom adapts as the deadline moves closer, but he may be down a trade chip at this point.