Cardinals 6-Year Veteran on Trade Watch: 'Coin Flip'

The dust is settling on the Major League Baseball offseason. It was a long one full of trades and signings and more speculation than anyone could've asked for. But things are heating up around the league, literally.

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitchers and catchers aren't scheduled to officially report to camp until Thursday, Feb. 12. While this is the case, camps opened around the league for some other teams on Tuesday. Baseball is back and soon enough Spring Training games will kick off in the coming weeks.

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It has been a transformational offseason for the Cardinals full of trades. St. Louis' president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom stepped on the gas and traded Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras away. While the Cardinals may not use the word "rebuild," the club certainly has retooled the organization as a whole with these moves.

The Cardinals should look to swing one more deal

Sep 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

One guy who surprisingly is still with the club is lefty reliever JoJo Romero, who also has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that with camp set to kick off this week, it's a "coin flip" whether he will actually get dealt.

"Even if JoJo Romero remains with the team, it's likely to be a closer by committee approach with both Riley O'Brien and Matt Svanson getting some looks in that role, maybe even long looks," Goold wrote. "Could see team turning to O'Brien often in the ninth, honestly. It's coin flip whether Romero gets traded at this point before opening day. He's here in camp.

"We're a time in the calendar where teams want to see what they have internally and can look at their lefties off the roster and in their organization for fits, and there's no problem doing that for a few more weeks, even a month now. But as the performance and health starts to reveal itself in the closing weeks of March, the need for a lefty reliever here and there will grow and Romero will be an option for teams to look at."

Arguably, the Cardinals should try to find a new home for him. Romero had the best season of his career in 2025 and will be a free agent after the 2026 season. With the way the club is currently constructed, there doesn't appear to be a long-term fit in town if he's going to cash in next offseason. Plus, relievers are volatile anyway. Arguably, the club should try to flip him before the season, just in case he struggles early on. The club was in a similar position with Ryan Helsley last year. While he was solid, he wasn't as good in 2025 as he was in 2024. If there is a taker out there, there's no reason to risk a regression.

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