Brewers to face NL Central competition in pursuit of reunion with free agent reliever JoJo Romero

The Milwaukee Brewers enter the offseason without a long list of needs on their World Series-winning roster. The Brewers are set to return a majority of the players that led to their memorable 103-win 2026 season that ended in a World Series title. Yes, they may elect to trade away one or two of their impending free agents, which could create new roster needs, but for the most part, Matt Arnold and company have set themselves up for a strong 2027 campaign regardless of how active they are before MLB's approaching lockout.

That said, one area that could always use more reinforcement is the bullpen. The Brewers had a pair of relievers on their World Series roster who have since hit free agency, JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela -- both of whom were acquired at the midseason trade deadline. If the Brewers do end up confirming early offseason trade rumors regarding Trevor Megill, that would leave three vacancies in their 2027 bullpen. Milwaukee certainly has the arms to replace the departing relievers, but if the Brewers do make use of the free agent market this offseason, a bullpen addition feels like the most obvious move.

Should the Brewers sign a free agent reliever this offseason, a reunion with Romero makes a ton of sense. The 30-year-old Romero has quietly been among the most reliable left-handed relievers in baseball over the last three seasons. Romero has averaged nearly 62 appearances per season over the last three campaigns and holds a 2.91 ERA during that stretch. His low arm slot was the perfect complement to Aaron Ashby's high-slot from the left side, which gave the Brewers' opponents another unique look to deal with in Milwaukee's 'pen.

Bringing back Romero is a completely justifiable move for the Brewers, who are expected to have more money to spend this offseason as a result of the added revenue from their World Series run. However, in order to convince Romero to return to the Cream City, the Brewers will have to beat out an NL Central foe on the free agent market, the St. Louis Cardinals. Such a task is made more difficult by the fact that Romero spent four years of his career with the Red Birds, where he established himself as an effective big leaguer.

Cardinals reportedly interested in reuniting with LHP JoJo Romero after dealing him to Brewers at trade deadline

Whereas top-tier relievers like Adrian Morejón and David Bednar are expected to command sizable salaries on the free agent market this winter, projections of Romero's contract have been rather reasonable. MLB Trade Rumors expects Romero to earn a two-year, $13 million contract this offseason, whereas other outlets like The Athletic and ESPN don't even include the southpaw in their list of the top available free agents.

At that price, many teams are expected to be interested in Romero's services, one of which is his former team, the Cardinals. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "the Cardinals are at least interested in discussing a reunion" and "would like to discuss Romero’s return." Romero, who was initially drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, was traded to the Cardinals for Edmundo Sosa at the 2022 trade deadline. He remained in St. Louis until being traded to the Brewers at this year's deadline, meaning he has plenty of familiarity with Milwaukee's NL Central foe.

The Brewers typically don't sign free-agent relief pitchers, relying instead on their ability to develop pitchers to fill out their bullpen. However, for a reasonable price, a reunion with Romero could make some sense, but only if Milwaukee isn't forced into a bidding war with their division rivals.

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