Giants Still Have One Trade to Make Before Opening Day

The San Francisco Giants have one more trade they could make to try and improve their bullpen situation. But who?

General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants’ bullpen is under increasing pressure to remain healthy.

Three of the Giants’ four left-handed relievers are injured, including Reiver Sanmartin, who developed left hip discomfort during a World Baseball Classic exhibition game. San Francisco has lost right-handed reliever Joel Peguero to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which could keep him on the shelf for at least a month.

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

The Giants have a rock-solid batting order for opening day, barring injury. The starting rotation looks secure, with Logan Webb at the top.

But the bullpen has potential to be a mess, beyond Ryan Walker. There is a trade the Giants could make, one that would give them a left-hander and fortify the set-up role ahead of Walker — St. Louis reliever JoJo Romero.

Giants Should Trade for JoJo Romero

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Romero has emerged as one of St. Louis’ top set-up men the past two seasons. He’s coming off a great 2025 in which he went 4-6 with a career-best 2.07 ERA in 65 games. He struck out 55 and walked 29 in 61 innings. The season before that he went 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA in a breakthrough year that saw him pitch in 65 games with 51 strikeouts and 16 walks.

For the past two seasons he was one of the set-up men ahead of closer Ryan Helsley, who was traded at midseason. That put him in position to finish last season with eight saves. He only has 12 for his career, meaning he doesn’t have much closer experience. That makes him an ideal pitcher to put in front of Walker in the eighth innings, along with being a back-up closer for those days that Walker needs a break.

Romero broke in with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020 but really didn’t get his career going until 2023 in his second season with the Cardinals. His career numbers look solid — 15-11 with a 3.55 ERA. He strikes out 8.5 hitters per nine innings while walking 3.5 per nine innings. It’s not a great spread, but in Oracle Park, where pitchers tend to be favored, his stuff may prove useful.

So, what might the trade cost? Maybe not as much as the Giants think. Romero is a free agent after the season and he’s making less than $5 million.  San Francisco can afford him and St. Louis cannot try to inflate the cost on the Giants as he has no team control beyond this year.

The Giants appear to have bullpen issues. Some teams like to let the season develop before they make moves. Given San Francisco’s bullpen situation right now, making the move for Romero now and not waiting makes sense.