Padres' trade interest in most underrated member of Cardinals bullpen heating up

The Padres have some flame-throwers in their bullpen, there's no denying that. Robert Suarez, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada - to name a few - can rear back and reach 99-100 MPH on their fastball, making them a strong core to one of the top relief staffs in the game.

To offset that, though, the Friars have Yuki Matsui, a left-hander with solid numbers, but is still fastball-reliant. If San Diego is interested in adding to their bullpen ahead of the 2025 trade deadline - which they are - they might not need to look any further than JoJo Romero.

Romero, of the St. Louis Cardinals, is also a southpaw, but he is nowhere near a fastball pitcher. One of the best ground ball pitchers in the sport, Romero has a nasty slider-sinker-changeup arsenal that would only add a boost to San Diego's elite bullpen.

Padres showing interest in relief man JoJo Romero ahead of trade deadline

Romero, sporting a career-best 2.12 ERA and 197 ERA+ this year, showed the best version of himself against the Padres this past week. In what could be considered an audition for San Diego, Romero surrendered no runs on one hit across 2 2/3 frames with four strikeouts. Not a bad showing for his next potential team.

Not only that, but Romero has given up just one earned run between April 27 and July 25, which spans 29 appearances. This lowered his ERA from 7.27 to 2.12, making him the most under-the-radar trade candidate this season.

Not only has the 28-year-old been tremendous this year, but he has solid splits for his career against teams in the NL West.

Against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Romero has allowed just two runs in 8 2/3 career innings with 11 strikeouts. Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks, he owns a 3.48 ERA, and against the Colorado Rockies, he's flexed five scoreless frames.

While the Padres need reinforcements behind the plate, in left field, and perhaps in the starting rotation, it won't hurt if they find time to make a trade for another reliever - especially one who has been this good all year long.