Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Cut Ties With $2 Million Veteran Pitcher

The Cardinals have a few tough decisions to make this season.
Zach Pressnell|
Apr 13, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) pitches in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) pitches in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have found themselves stuck in the middle of selling and buying this season. They're built to be a rebuilding team, but they're winning a lot more than many expected. This could result in them doing a bit of selling while also doing a bit of buying.

While looking at players they could shop at the trade deadline, there are a few that jump off the page like Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde. Beyond those two, there are a few other interesting names on the roster to look at.

Mason Keith of Redbird Rants recently predicted the Cardinals would cut ties with reliever Jojo Romero ahead of the trade deadline this season.

"Romero started off 2025 on a very bad note. He was one of the most inconsistent pitchers out of the bullpen and looked questionable to be DFA'd after posting a 4.36 ERA in March/April," Keith wrote. "But his FIP was consistently lower than his ERA during this stretch, which shed light that maybe bad luck was harming him. After the month of May, this seems to be the case. Romero, on the season, has bounced back and has a 3.44 ERA on the season.

"But Romero still has alarming red flags that are present in his body of work. After 18.1 IP, he only has 13 SO, 12 BB, and a 4.50 FIP. With his recent success mixed in with his unstable production, it seems to be the right time to shop Romero to the market."

Romero's recent success paired with the fact he's a lefty could cause for some trade interest to generate. St. Louis could look to take advantage of a hot reliever market by dealing away a few talented pitchers this season.

The Cardinals likely wouldn't land a massive, franchise-altering package of prospects for the lefty, but it could still prove to be worth it in the future. Whether they deal him away or not, it's definitely something to look into this trade deadline season.

More MLB: Cardinals Should Trade For Struggling Star Pitcher From Braves

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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