The St. Louis Cardinals have interest in bringing back left-hander JoJo Romero, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fresh off a World Series championship with the Milwaukee Brewers, Romero is now a free agent for the first time in his career, and sources familiar with the team’s thinking say St. Louis would at least like to discuss a return just months after trading him at the deadline.
Romero, 30, had been a steady presence in the Cardinals’ bullpen since arriving from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 Edmundo Sosa trade. He posted low-to-mid 3.00 ERAs in each season from 2023 through 2026, with a standout 2.07 ERA over a career-high 61 innings in 2025. In 2026 he recorded 20 holds in 44 appearances for St. Louis before the deal, filling high-leverage roles after Riley O’Brien emerged as the closer.
At the trade deadline the Cardinals sent Romero and Dustin May to Milwaukee for outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale. Both prospects immediately ranked among the organization’s better hitting prospects. The move worked out for both sides: Romero became a key lefty option alongside Aaron Ashby in the Brewers’ later innings, was scored upon in just one of seven playoff outings, and picked up wins over the Dodgers in Games 2 and 4 of the NLCS. He finished the postseason with a 1.13 ERA in 8 innings.
The Cardinals’ interest makes sense given the current state of the bullpen. Behind All-Star closer Riley O’Brien, the club enters the offseason without many proven high-leverage options. Left-handed depth is especially thin, with the primary options consisting of journeyman Justin Bruihl and multi-inning types such as Brycen Mautz, Eduardo Rivera, and Josh Fleming. A reunion with Romero would address that need with a pitcher already familiar with the organization, the division, and Busch Stadium.
Romero ranks among the better left-handed relievers available this winter. MLB Trade Rumors listed him No. 46 on its Top 50 Free Agents and projected a two-year, $13 million contract. He is not an overpowering strikeout arm by modern standards—his career strikeout rate sits near league average—but he has been durable, generates ground balls at a strong clip, and has a track record of handling leverage situations. That profile fits a Cardinals team that is still in the midst of a rebuild and is more likely to pursue shorter-term or modestly priced bullpen help than long-term commitments.
Whether the sides can find common ground remains to be seen. Romero should draw interest from multiple clubs looking to bolster their relief corps, and the Cardinals will have to balance any offer against their broader offseason priorities and the prospects they already received in the original trade. Still, the reported willingness to discuss a reunion signals that St. Louis views the left-hander as a practical fit for a bullpen that needs experienced, reliable arms as the rebuild continues.
For a team focused on adding controllable talent while remaining competitive in the near term, bringing Romero back would represent a low-risk way to stabilize the left side of the bullpen without blocking younger arms. Talks have not advanced beyond interest, but the possibility of Romero returning to the Cardinals’ uniform is now on the table.
