Cardinals $2.26 Million Reliever Reportedly Drawing Interest From Contenders

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't officially confirmed it yet, but they are very likely to be sellers this year at the trade deadline. The deadline is now less than a week away, and several players are drawing interest from contending teams.

The obvious trade candidates are Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton, all relievers who are on expiring contracts. But those are not the only players that are receiving interest from rival clubs.

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, there are others that teams are interested in. Woo notes that the list of possible trade candidates includes left-hander JoJo Romero.

"Though the Cardinals have not publicly declared their intent to sell, Mozeliak has reached out to teams to inform them relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz are available, according to multiple league sources. All three pitchers will be free agents at the end of the season. Reliever JoJo Romero is also drawing interest from rival clubs, though he will not be a free agent until 2027," Woo wrote.

Romero got off to a rocky start in 2025, but has since rediscovered his old form. This year, the 28-year-old left-hander is 3-3 with a 2.12 ERA in 40 appearances.

St. Louis acquired Romero from the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2022 in exchange for utility infielder Edmundo Sosa. The deal has worked out quite well for St. Louis, as Romero has been one of their most trusted high-leverage arms.

It will be interesting to see if St. Louis decides to trade him in the coming days.