Inside The Cardinals

JoJo Romero Staying? Cardinals Insider Addresses Endless Rumors

The St. Louis Cardinals still could use one more trade before Spring Training ends.
Patrick McAvoy|
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
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

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The St. Louis Cardinals have another piece who would be intriguing on the trade block, but it appears as though there is nothing imminent on that front.

On Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch held a question-and-answer session with fans around the team. One question was about JoJo Romero's future with the team and whether there have been signs that his stint in St. Louis could end up coming to an end in Spring Training.

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"Not at the moment, no," Goold wrote when asked if there was a "sentiment" that Romero would be on the move soon. "That's not unusual though. It's pretty early in camp. Teams like to see what options they have internally, or unexpectedly, or what starters they like but could use as relievers, and so on and so on. Some of that is salary; a lot of that is roster space. The movement will happen later in spring, once teams' optimism about their internal options are faced with the reality of performance."

Why Cardinals should trade JoJo Romero

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher JoJo Romero
Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher JoJo Romero (59) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Despite Spring Training being in full swing, it would still make sense to consider a deal. Romero had a phenomenal 2025 campaign. There's no denying that fact. Romero appeared in 65 games and logged a 2.07 ERA across 61 innings of work.

He had eight saves and was a 1.7-WAR player in his 65 appearances. When the Cardinals traded Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz away, it looked like the bullpen would quickly become a weakness for the team. But Romeo stepped up and helped to stabilize it.

In a perfect world, the Cardinals wouldn't have had to trade anyone. But the Cardinals are building something and all of the deals of the offseason brought back prospects with upside.

Romero has just one more season of control left and will be a free agent after the 2026 season ends. That's why it makes sense still to look around. What if he struggles to begin the 2026 season and then walks for nothing in free agency? That wouldn't be a great scenario for the club.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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