Cardinals Taking Patient Approach With 5-Year Veteran, Per Report

The Cardinals aren't in a rush to trade him.

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have gone a little bit quiet over the past several weeks since trading Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox. They also sent Sonny Gray there and signed former Red Sox pitcher Dustin May to a one-year deal.

They have three major trade chips: Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado and JoJo Romero. Donovan and Romero could bring back good hauls, while Arenado would mostly be a salary dump.

Romero is in the final year of his contract before free agency, and it would make sense to trade him. However, John Denton of MLB.com’s latest report indicates that this isn’t exactly what their thought process is about the situation.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Will Cards Deal Romero?

Sep 13, 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

“St. Louis got great value out of veterans Andrew Kittredge and Phil Maton in their bullpen the past two seasons, and the Cards think the highly respected, all-business Romero could do the same for them in 2026. So, even though Romero could command a Donovan-like bounty, St. Louis is in no hurry to do deals for now,” Denton reports.

In truth, it isn’t egregious for the Cardinals to hold onto Romero. If they traded him, they would have to go into free agency and find a left-handed reliever to replace him.

At this point, it’s probably best if the Cardinals stick with the option that they’ve got in Romero. They also picked up left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians earlier this week, so they did at least go out and add an arm, even if it wasn't a major addition. 

The Cardinals could get a lot for Romero, and it makes sense to at least shop him and see what they can get in exchange. But it isn’t the end of the world if they can’t trade him.

If they’re out of contention at the deadline, he could be a candidate to be traded for some prospects. Simply put, they aren’t in any rush to move Romero, and keeping him for at least the first part of 2026 is just fine.

We’ll see if a team can blow them away with an offer for Romero in the coming weeks, but it would seem that he is likely to stay in St. Louis for the time being.

More MLB: Cardinals First Arbitration Domino Falls With $4M Deal For Righty