Cardinals-Yankees Mock Trade Swaps JoJo Romero for Impact Prospect

The St. Louis Cardinals should be on the lookout for controllable, young pitching this summer before the trade deadline.

May 23, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) throws against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are exactly halfway through the 2026 Major League Baseball season and while they have been extremely fun to watch and competitive, the trade deadline is coming and there's a real chance we see a few guys wearing different uniforms by the time the deadline passes on Aug. 3.

With the midpoint of the season here, we broke down the Cardinals from all angles. The Cardinals are on pace to win 86 games right now and could very well end up in the playoffs if they play their cards right now. But things are also very tight in the National League and one cold streak could completely change that.

With the Cardinals in the first year of a reset period under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, we made the case for St. Louis to trade three pieces away in JoJo Romero. Dustin May and Ryne Stanek, but keep Lars Nootbaar. The Cardinals have internal options to replace Romero, May and Stanek and could very well still end up being competitive, even if they traded the trio away. Plus, if the Cardinals traded them away, they could bring back prospects to help speed up this rebuild.

JoJo Romero As A Trade Candidate

Jun 21, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) pitches during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Of the three, let's take a look further at Romero. He's a very solid lefty, which is hard to come by, and will be a free agent after the season. He's a no-brainer of a trade candidate. This season, he has a 3.72 ERA in 37 games this season. Last year, he had a 2.07 ERA in 65 outings. He hasn't finished a season with an ERA above 4.00 since 2022. He's consistent and should be in demand.

One team the Cardinals should target is the New York Yankees. The Yankees showed interest in Romero this past offseason, although nothing got done. The Yankees have the fourth-best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.27, but could use a lefty. Brent Headrick has been great with a 1.62 ERA in 40 appearances, but Tim Hill (4.20 ERA) and Ryan Yarbrough (4.02 ERA) haven't been as good.

JoJo Romero-Yankees Mock Trade

Jun 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Here's a mock trade both sides should consider.

Cardinals Receive: RHP Ben Hess (NYY's No. 5 prospect)

Yankees Receive: LHP JoJo Romero, 3B Nolan Gorman

Now, this is admittedly bold. The Yankees could use a lefty reliever and third base has been up in the air for them as well. Romero is talented. You know what you're getting with him. With Gorman, everyone knows the power potential he has. But he just hasn't been able to put it all together for the Cardinals and now he is down in Triple-A. Maybe his bat could play better at Yankee Stadium.

In this scenario, the Cardinals would get an intriguing pitching prospect in Hess. He was a first-round pick in 2024 and is in Double-A right now with a 4.44 ERA in 10 starts. He's just 23 years old and has big-time upside. When it comes to St. Louis, it spent the offseason stockpiling high-end pitching prospects. Hess fits that description and would be another dice roll for a team that is trying to build the rotation of the future.