Cardinals $26 Million Star Surprisingly Mentioned As 'Surefire Trade Candidate'

St. Louis' bullpen could look much different in 2025

May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will evaluate their roster for logical trade candidates this winter as the front office looks to reduce payroll for 2025.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has already announced that the big-league roster won't be prioritized, so St. Louis fans should keep expectations low come Opening Day.

Even the Cardinals bullpen, a force to be reckoned with this year, is in jeopardy of losing valuable assets to this winter's trade market.

"The St. Louis bullpen has several trade candidates, with top setup man JoJo Romero also a surefire trade candidate who’s controlled through 2026," MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams wrote Thursday when discussing top potential trade candidate for this upcoming offseason.

Romero logged a 7-3 record with a 3.36 ERA, 51-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .236 batting average against and a 1.15 WHIP in 59 innings pitched for St. Louis this season.

The 28-year-old is under team control through 2026 but his projected market value is roughly $26 million over a five-year deal, translating to nearly $5 million annually, according to Spotrac.

Trading Romero wouldn't make sense if the Cardinals hoped to be competitive next season. However, since St. Louis wants to rebuild their farm system and fix their infrastructure, trading the southpaw to land a decent haul of prospects in return seems logical.

It'll be tough letting go of Romero, a vital member of the three-headed monster in the bullpen that included him, Ryan Fernandez and Andrew Kittredge as the perfect set-up men for flamethrowing closer Ryan Helsley. Sadly, he won't be the only asset from this year's dominant relief core to be placed on the trade block.

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