Cardinals' Star Ryan Helsley Replacement Taking Advantage of New Role

The St. Louis Cardinals sat on the fence for most of the first half of the year. They seemed like they had a chance for the postseason and potentially the National League Central crown, but just as quickly as they got hot, they got cold. To pair with that, the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and even the Cincinnati Reds got hot.

As a result, the Cardinals conservatively sold at the deadline. They opted to trade relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz in order to add some solid prospects to their farm system. As of now, the moves look solid. But they look even better because JoJo Romero has seamlessly stepped into Helsley's role at the back end of the bullpen and provided the Cardinals with a lockdown arm, for the most part.

Miranda Remaklus of Redbird Rants recently praised Romero for taking full advantage of the runway he was given after the trio of trades the Cardinals swung at the deadline.

JoJo Romero thriving in closer role after Ryan Helsley trade

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romer — Aug 10, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher JoJo Romero (59) celebrates with catcher Pedro Pages (43) after the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"After the team traded off relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton, Romero became the next man up to take on the higher-leverage relief situations for the Cardinals," Remaklus wrote. "Over his last seven games, Romero is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA with three saves. He's pitched eight innings, given up three earned runs and four walks, while striking out seven batters.

"He earned the loss in Wednesday's series finale with the Colorado Rockies. He pitched one inning, giving up two hits, a walk, and two earned runs, while striking out three batters. He walked Kyle Karros and struck out Brenton Doyle before giving up a two-run homer to Hunter Goodman. Since the deadline, Romero has proven to be a trustworthy arm out of the bullpen as long as he's in an ideal situation."

Romero has been very solid for the Cardinals for the last three seasons, but this is his first time stepping into the closer's role. He holds a career best ERA and WAR on the campaign.

The lefty might not be St. Louis' long-term solution at the backend of games, but it's great to see him thrive in the role because there's a chance the Cardinals will need to occasionally use him in the ninth inning of a close game, even if they do add a new closer. Romero is taking full advantage of the Cardinals bullpen sell-off at the deadline.

More MLB: Cardinals Rookie Pitcher Turns Heads With Another Solid Outing