Orioles eyeing trade for lefty reliever

The Baltimore Orioles appear interested in trading for this reliable southpaw reliever.

Sep 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher JoJo Romero (59) reacts after the Cardinals defeated the Athletics at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles executed a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for right-handed starter Shane Baz on December 19, trading several quality prospects in what's just the most recent in a flurry of moves to turn Baltimore back into World Series contenders in 2026.

As if trading for Taylor Ward and then signing Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley wasn't enough proof, the addition of Baz (who produced a 4.87 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 166.1 innings pitched in 2025) further shows that Mike Elias and the rest of the Orioles front office are willing to do whatever it takes to win right now. And all indications are that the club is still keen to sign a frontline starting pitcher on the free agency market, perhaps Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen, or Framber Valdez.

Read more: Star lefty called best match for Orioles

However, it isn't just the starting rotation that could use reinforcements. While acquiring Helsley was a good start, the Orioles would use additional pieces in their bullpen corps, especially left-handed pitchers. The only southpaw relievers on Baltimore's 40-man roster are Grant Wolfram, Dietrich Enns, and Keegan Akin, which shows that some more lefty depth could be valuable as the team heads into 2026.

Aug 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin (45) pitches during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Orioles Showing Trade Interest in JoJo Romero

It seems that Baltimore's front office might elect to improve its bullpen via trade next, as a December 19 article from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch conveyed that the Orioles are expressing interest in St. Louis Cardinals southpaw JoJo Romero.

However, Goold also noted that the Orioles aren't alone, as both the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners have inquired about Romero in recent weeks.

JoJo Romero's 2Ks in the 7th getting out of a bases loaded jam...

And is fired tf up! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GRqpkZg68W

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 10, 2024

Romero is coming off a 2025 season where he produced an extremely solid 2.05 ERA in 65 appearances (61 innings pitched) out of the Cardinals' bullpen. While this was the best season of his by far, the 29-year-old has shown consistent improvement for the past four seasons, lowering his ERA in each campaign while remaining an important piece of St. Louis' relief corps.

The Cardinals appear keen to trade most of their best players to kickstart a full rebuild this offseason. So while the Orioles might need to outbid the Yankees, the Mariners, or any other team that's interested in acquiring Romero, they wouldn't necessarily need a king's ransom to get something in return.

It will be interesting to see how aggressively Mike Elias tries to bring Romero to Baltimore before this winter ends.

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