The Atlanta Braves, who have remained the best team in Major League Baseball since the beginning of May, should be expected to add at this year’s MLB trade deadline in one way or another. Considering Atlanta has the best record, and things have been going so well, that limits what the Braves actually need to make their team better for August-October.
However, no team is perfect, and with speculative rumors circulating about St. Louis Cardinals‘ southpaw reliever JoJo Romero potentially being moved, he’s the perfect target for the Braves, who could benefit from having another leverage left-handed bullpen option. Remember, it’s an arms race in the National League, and the Braves will have to keep pace with what other NL clubs do during this trade cycle.
JoJo Romero has been a trade candidate since last offseason, but the Cardinals never moved him. Now, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, it’s likely that JoJo Romero and Dustin May will be traded from St. Louis. We’ve seen in the past Alex Anthopoulos be aggressive at the MLB trade deadline for lefty bullpen help.
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JoJo Romero By the Numbers
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 3: JoJo Romero #59 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after beating the Athletics at Busch Stadium on September 3, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Also, JoJo Romero is set to be a free agent after the 2026 season, so it really could just be a rental addition for the Braves when they need Romero the most, in October.
After a stellar 2025 season for JoJo Romero (2.07 ERA in 61 innings), he’s backing that campaign up with another good one before his MLB free agency.
Over 28.2 innings this season, Romero has an ERA of 3.45 with 29 strikeouts.
Due to his impending free agency status, that drives the price of Romero down, which benefits a team like the Braves, who may not want to deplete their farm system, as JoJo Romero might only cost 1-2 mid-tier prospects. However, his trade status ultimately depends on what the Cardinals decide to do at the trade deadline, and where they are in the standings come Mid-July.
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Atlanta Braves Trade Deadline Strategy
Again, the Braves are the best team in baseball, so if there’s any team in MLB that doesn’t need to make additions, it’s Atlanta.
However, Alex Anthopoulos has said that the team is welcome to search for and add pitching help for a postseason push. Atlanta will return some starters from the IL at some point this season, but the only true lefties the Braves have in their bullpen are Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd.
Both have been good, but Romero could add another element of bullpen depth, and can be one of the relievers who’s strictly used in high-leverage spots against left-handed hitters.
For the Braves, it’s worth considering making a call with the Cardinals to see what it would cost to land JoJo Romero.
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