The Detroit Tigers have already checked off most of their offseason to-do list, keeping the core of their 2025 stretch-run roster intact. Gleyber Torres is back in the infield, Jack Flaherty returns to the rotation, and Kyle Finnegan is set to reprise his role in the bullpen.
They've also added veteran arms Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson, aiming to stabilize a pitching staff that saw too many ups and downs last season. Internally, the Tigers are hoping for continued development from younger pieces like Troy Melton and Kevin McGonigle.
On paper, this roster is a bit stronger than the one that opened last season. But while the depth is solid, what still stands out is the lack of true star power.
That said, this team doesn’t need a superstar at every position. What Detroit could really use right now is a specific kind of bullpen help-left-handed relief.
Tyler Holton remains the go-to lefty, and Brant Hurter has shown some promise in a swing role, but the Tigers are still missing a high-leverage southpaw who could allow Holton to be deployed more flexibly. The problem?
That kind of arm just isn’t available in free agency right now. Most of the more intriguing lefty relievers-like Matt Strahm and Caleb Thielbar-have already signed elsewhere.
What’s left on the market are mostly specialists, not guys you trust in tight spots every night.
That brings us to JoJo Romero of the St. Louis Cardinals-a name that makes a lot of sense for Detroit.
The Cardinals are clearly in sell mode, having already shipped out Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to Boston, and more moves are expected. Romero, a rental reliever with a modest arbitration salary, could be next.
Romero isn’t flashy, but he’s effective. In 2025, he posted a 2.07 ERA with a 3.40 FIP, backed by a 21.6% strikeout rate and an 11.4% walk rate.
His pitch mix-slider, sinker, changeup, with the occasional four-seamer-leans more toward inducing soft contact than missing bats. His sinker averages 94.3 mph, which is slightly above the league average for lefty relievers, and he’s made a career out of generating ground balls.
Since 2020, his ground ball rate has hovered above 53%, putting him among the top 50 relievers in that category over that span.
He’s also been particularly tough on left-handed hitters, with a career 28.8% strikeout rate against them. That’s a valuable weapon for a team like Detroit, which could use another lefty to neutralize dangerous lefty bats late in games.
Even if Romero simply replicates his 2025 numbers, he’d be a solid addition. But there’s reason to believe there’s more upside here-especially if the Tigers’ pitching development group can help him get back to his 2023 form.
That season, Romero was at his best. He struck out 28.6% of hitters, walked just 6.8%, and looked like a legitimate late-inning option.
So what changed? A couple of things.
First, his velocity dipped. In 2023, he was regularly hitting 95+ mph on his fastball.
In 2025, that number dropped by a full tick. Second, his arm slot has been trending downward.
In his best years, Romero released the ball from an angle between 38 and 45 degrees. This past season, it was closer to 31 degrees.
That change might seem minor, but it can have a real impact on both velocity and effectiveness-especially against same-handed hitters. Raising his arm slot again could be a relatively simple mechanical adjustment with a big payoff.
Another potential tweak? Rebalancing his pitch mix.
Back in 2023, Romero used four pitches fairly evenly. His four-seamer was in play about 15% of the time, with his sinker, slider, and changeup all seeing regular usage.
Fast forward to 2025, and the four-seamer has mostly disappeared, while his slider usage has ballooned to nearly 38%. That shift likely coincides with his transition to more of a lefty specialist role, but reintroducing the four-seamer and changeup-especially in a bullpen that isn’t afraid of same-handed changeups-could help him regain some of that earlier effectiveness and expand his role.
As for the cost? It shouldn’t be prohibitive.
Romero is in his final year of arbitration and is projected to earn just north of $4 million. That’s a fair rate for a solid, if unspectacular, reliever.
Given that, a trade package built around a pair of mid-tier pitching prospects-think names like Joseph Montalvo, Gabriel Reyes, or Eric Silva-would probably be enough to get a deal done. There are whispers that the Orioles may also be sniffing around Romero, but this isn’t likely to turn into a bidding war.
Of course, there’s a counterargument to be made. The Tigers have worked hard to maintain flexibility on their depth chart, and trading for a reliever without minor league options like Romero could create a roster crunch if he struggles.
That’s a real concern. Unless they’re swinging for a top-tier starter or late-inning reliever, standing pat and reassessing midseason might be the safer play.
But if Detroit is looking to make a smaller, targeted move to round out the bullpen, Romero checks a lot of boxes. He’d allow Holton to be used more creatively.
He’d offer a more dependable option than Hurter or Bailey Horn in lefty-heavy matchups. And if injuries hit the rotation early, freeing up Hurter for spot starts becomes a lot easier with Romero in the fold.
This wouldn’t be a headline-grabbing trade, but it could be one of those subtle moves that pays dividends over a long season.
There’s also the upside factor. Romero’s not far removed from being a high-strikeout, low-walk reliever with a deep arsenal and strong platoon splits. If Detroit’s pitching coaches can help him rediscover that form, they might just end up with a steal.