The Cardinals’ offseason chatter has finally started, and the first real name tied to their bullpen plans is a familiar one.
According to Derrick Goold of the STL Post-Dispatch, St. Louis is interested in a reunion with left-handed reliever JoJo Romero. Jeff Jones of the Bellville News added on X that the interest is “mutual” between Romero and the Cardinals, though whether that leads to a deal remains to be seen.
Romero, 30, spent the latter half of 2022 through the first half of 2026 with St. Louis and established himself as one of the steadiest lefty relievers in baseball during that stretch.
His best season came in 2025, when he worked 61 innings, posted a 2.07 ERA and collected eight saves. This past season, split between the Cardinals and the World Champion Brew Crew, he finished with a 3.36 ERA over 56.1 innings.
He brought exactly what a bullpen needs: durability, consistency and a look that hitters had trouble solving. Cardinals fans got used to seeing that sweeper/sinker mix come out of the pen and tilt innings in St. Louis’ favor.
Once Romero was dealt at the trade deadline, the bullpen picture changed fast. The Cardinals no longer had a dependable left-handed answer in the late innings, and the relief corps felt the loss. Left-handed hitters became a problem, and the season ended with a lot of blown saves.
The price tag, though, could complicate any reunion. Sportrac projects Romero for a four-year, $26 million contract, a number that already feels hefty for a reliever. It may not even be the ceiling anymore.
The Atlanta Braves set the market first by giving Evan Phillips three years and $35 million, a deal that raises the stakes for every bullpen arm on the market. For a reliever with injury questions, that kind of money changes the conversation quickly.
That matters for St. Louis, because the Cardinals have already made it clear payroll is not going to jump dramatically. POBO Chaim Bloom is expected to keep leaning on the prospect-heavy direction he’s built since arriving, which makes a long-term bullpen commitment harder to justify.
So while Romero makes sense as a fit and the interest appears to run both ways, the Cardinals may not want to go four years for a reliever. That leaves them looking at other left-handed options too, including Brent Suter, Taylor Rogers, Brooks Raley and Brock Burke.
The rumor mill is moving now. For the Cardinals, it’s just getting started.
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