Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cardinals Rumors Emerging Around 6-Year MLB Veteran

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 16, 2025 11:41 AM ET

The offseason is still young, but the buzz around the St. Louis Cardinals is loud right now.

If you are a Cardinals fan, you likely have heard all about the guys on the roster with no-trade clauses. Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras. All three of these guys have been floated as trade candidates, although Arenado and Gray are the most likely of the two to go.

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Outside of these three, Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar are the two who have had their names pop up in trade rumors the most. But, even they aren't all. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals are "entertaining interest" in veteran reliever JoJo Romero.

The Cardinals are the team to watch on the trade block

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"The Cardinals have decided to start the offseason by driving into traffic at the crossroads of trade talks, pursuing ways to move two of their highest-paid players, Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray, and entertaining interest in such players as left-handed reliever JoJo Romero and several of their left-handed bats, including but not exclusive to Brendan Donovan," Goold said. There’s a new president of baseball operations in Chaim Bloom, a new direction, and at this past week’s General Manager Meetings at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, a new vibe to the Cardinals’ front office."

Arenado, Gray, Contreras, Donovan, and Nootbaar have been names consistently out there. Romero, not so much.

The 29-year-old was lights-out in 2025 for St. Louis. He pitched in 65 games and logged a 2.07 ERA and 55-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61 innings pitched. It was the best season of Romero's career.

He's a six-year big league veteran and his 65 appearances tied his career best and his 2.07 ERA set a new mark for him. Before the 2025 season, his career-best ERA was 3.36, set in 2024.

Romero is a lefty and showed he could dominate. The veteran is under team control for the 2026 season. It's one thing to hear about the expensive veterans on the trade block, the fact that Romero is another guy getting interest shows that the club is at least considering everything.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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