Orioles viewed as top trade candidate for Cardinals' high-leverage lefty originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Baltimore Orioles bolstered their bullpen over the winter break. They came to an agreement with Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million contract.
He is doing well with his new teams, holding a 2.79 ERA on 11 appearances and leading the AL with six saves.
The bullpen currently holds a 3.63 ERA, which is good enough to crack the top 10. However, you can never have too many high-leverage arms, especially for a team with postseason aspirations.
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There will be multiple relievers that other clubs will dangle ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Miami Marlins reliever Pete Fairbanks could be an option, or Colorado Rockies' Jimmy Herget.
Or, the club could go after what many are considering the best bullpen trade option, St. Louis Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero.
Romero understands how to work in tandem with Helsley, as that is what they did when the two were with the Cards from 2022 to 2024. That 2024 season, they were as dominant as you can get with Helsley winning NL Reliever of the Year and Romero having 30 holds to his name.
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller would love to see this trade take place.
"Just for fun, let's call our shot with this one: Romero gets traded to Baltimore for a reunion with Ryan Helsley and for a bunch of 'Can't spell JoJo Romero without the O's' jokes. At any rate, that's a bullpen lacking for southpaws."
The O's could surely use another left-handed option as they only have three currently. And when looking at the potential market, it might not get better than Romero.
So, expect one of the most aggressive teams over the winter break to be one of the more aggressive teams ahead of the trade deadline.
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