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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 27: Manager Walt Weiss #4 of the Atlanta Braves looks on during batting practice prior to facing the Kansas City Royals in the home opener at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Braves have been one of the best teams in MLB this season. They’re currently taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series, and going for the series win on Sunday afternoon.

It’s still early to think about trades, but there’s plenty of speculation going around, and one potential name to watch out for the Braves to target is St. Louis Cardinals‘ reliever, JoJo Romero. Romero is set to be a free agent after season ends, and is emerging as a popular trade candidate. Atlanta has Dylan Lee as a quality left-handed reliever in the bullpen, but Aaron Bummer has been inefficient for the most part this season.

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Braves Should Consider Making Call on JoJo Romero

GettyAcquiring JoJo Romero would help bolster the Braves bullpen.

The St. Louis Cardinals are having a good season to this point, definitely above preseason expectations, but that doesn’t mean Chaim Bloom won’t be aggressive with trades.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently wrote about Romero’s trade status:

“St. Louis Cardinals: LHP JoJo Romero,” Miller wrote. “Contract: $4.26M, free agent this winter. The jury is still out on whether the Cardinals are a legitimate contender. They’re seven games over .500 and red hot as of late, but that was also true in late June last season en route to becoming deadline sellers—and this team sure does seem to be punching above its designed weight class. Should the Red Birds ultimately fade, the obvious top trade chip is Romero. He already has 11 holds, and he’s one of the only impending free agents on this roster.”

Romero was named by Miller as the Cardinals’ top trade candidate.

JoJo Romero is definitely a name that the Braves should target come June or July. If he’s made available seriously by the Cardinals, it could cost the Braves a solid prospect because of Romero’s status as a leverage reliever.

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JoJo Romero as a Reliever

GettyJoJo Romero #59 of the St. Louis Cardinals attempts a pickoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 06, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Romero, 29, is a seven-year MLB reliever and has spent his entire career with the Cardinals.

In 2025, Romero had a stellar season, posting an ERA of 2.07 over 61 innings and 55 strikeouts.

So far this season, he’s not as productive and has an ERA of 3.50 over 18 innings.

Still, for the Braves, it would be an upgrade over Aaron Bummer, and every team could use multiple leverage relievers, especially from the left side.

Also, for Atlanta, they already have a pretty complete team, leading the NL East comfortably, and it’s still early May. The Braves have also been very active in roster moves lately, as is the case with every team. The Braves recently traded Jonah Heim to the Athletics in a move to clearly better their roster.

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