As the St. Louis Cardinals continue to explore the trade market for the best possible returns on their movable pieces, the Philadelphia Phillies just completed a deal involving a reliever whose value closely mirrors that of Cardinals left-hander JoJo Romero.
On Friday morning, the Phillies traded left-handed reliever Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan. With Strahm off the board, a Romero trade seems increasingly likely, and this move provides a useful benchmark for understanding the kind of value Romero might command.
Like Romero, Strahm had just one year of team control remaining and was projected to earn slightly more in arbitration than Romero would. Over 66 appearances in 2025, the 34-year-old Strahm posted a 2.74 ERA and a 2.99 FIP, pairing that with a 27.3% strikeout rate before being sent to Kansas City.
Romero, 29, meanwhile, pitched in 65 games for the Cardinals this season, registering a 2.07 ERA with a 3.28 FIP and striking out 21.6% of batters faced. “The two arms are super comparable in terms of production, salary, and remaining team control,” making the Strahm trade an interesting comparison for what the Cardinals could expect for Romero.
That said, the Cardinals may not be looking for the same type of player Philadelphia acquired. Bowlan, who has five years of team control remaining, has shown he can be an impactful reliever and might even improve further according to his underlying metrics. At 29, however, he doesn’t quite align with the youth movement the Cardinals are targeting.
Still, the Phillies walked away with a useful reliever with upside and significant control in exchange for Strahm, which suggests the Cardinals could realistically request a solid prospect for Romero. While obtaining a reliever with Bowlan’s type of club control would be valuable, it seems unlikely that the Cardinals are specifically seeking bullpen help in this transaction.
With numerous left-handed relievers either signed or traded in the past two weeks, teams are likely calling the Cardinals about Romero to bolster their 2026 bullpens. “My guess is a deal gets done in the near future,” highlighting that a trade involving the Cardinals lefty could be imminent.
