With the offseason about to get rolling, the Cardinals are in the kind of spot that usually points to smaller, smarter moves rather than headline-grabbing spending.
Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are getting ready for the World Series, and that means free agency is close behind. For St.
Louis, the offseason effectively started early after missing the playoffs. Even with the team beating expectations this year, a major splash in free agency would still be a surprise.
The free-agent class is thin, there’s the added risk of an MLB lockout, and the Cardinals don’t look like a club ready to spend like a true championship contender.
That doesn’t mean they’ll sit out entirely. A more realistic path would be adding a few lower-cost veterans who can patch holes and potentially become trade chips later on, much like the Cardinals did this season with Dustin May before flipping him to the Brewers at the deadline.
One name that fits that mold well is left-handed reliever JoJo Romero.
Romero already knows the organization, since he spent the first half of the season in St. Louis before being dealt to Milwaukee in the May deal.
He gave the Cardinals 44 appearances and a 3.35 ERA, with 43 strikeouts in 43 innings. After the trade, he kept putting up almost the exact same numbers for the Brewers, posting a 3.38 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 11 innings.
Then the postseason came, and he’s been even sharper, allowing just one run on two hits across four appearances.
That kind of profile lines up neatly with what St. Louis needs.
The bullpen was one of the club’s biggest issues this season, blowing 30 saves and ranking in the bottom third of the league in bullpen ERA. Left-handed relief help remains a clear need, and Romero checks that box while also bringing familiarity with the team.
He may not be the kind of signing that changes the whole conversation around the Cardinals’ offseason, but as a low-risk target with a track record in St. Louis, Romero makes a lot of sense.
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Cardinals Still Need Three Key Fixes To Get Back In The Race
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Alec Bohm would help the lineup, Shane Bieber would deepen the rotation, and Jonathan Loaisiga would give the bullpen another arm with leverage-inning potential. Those are the kinds of additions that can change the shape of a roster quickly, but the Cardinals still have work to do before they can be considered a true playoff threat, and the front office will have to decide how aggressively to push this winter. [Read more 🡒]