Amid a turbulent regular season defined by key injuries and uneven individual performances, like the one from Austin Wells, the New York Yankees are reportedly scouring the trade market for outside help to bolster their roster for the stretch run.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and Heavy Sports, St. Louis Cardinals relief pitchers JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien are among the primary targets the Yankees are monitoring to stabilize their bullpen depth following their early-season struggles.
“While the St. Louis Cardinals’ surprising success may thwart plans for selling at the trade deadline, teams still are keeping a close eye on closer Riley O’Brien and pitchers JoJo Romero and Dustin May,“ Nightengale reported regarding the market for the high-leverage arms.
With O’Brien enjoying a spectacular breakout campaign out of the bullpen—pitching to a stellar 2.45 ERA while locking down 13 saves—and Romero operating as a hot commodity since the Cardinals flirted with a roster tear-down in the offseason, the Yankees could be ready to pull the trigger on a substantial midseason acquisition.
JoJo Romero (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K) was great in his 1.1 inning stint for the Cardinals in their close loss to the Padres. He pounded the zone with 14 strikes on 20 pitches, while recording a pair of strikeouts. His sweeper was our RP Pitch of the Day pic.twitter.com/iyeIrnkFsF
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) May 11, 2026
O’Brien emerges as the primary target
While both St. Louis relievers are prominently featured on the trade block, the Yankees are expected to prioritize O’Brien, who could immediately step in to fill the high-leverage voids left by the injured Camilo Doval and Jake Bird.
However, Romero remains a highly viable backup plan, especially with reports from Heavy Sports suggesting the Yankees are willing to part with pitching prospects Ben Hess and Kyle Carr to get a deal done. How the Yankees value their prospect capital will ultimately dictate their approach as the deadline draws closer.
Rival contenders circling the Cardinals’ arms
The Yankees aren’t alone in their pursuit. Nightengale revealed that multiple powerhouse franchises are aggressively monitoring the availability of both Cardinals relievers, as well as right-hander Dustin May.
Alongside New York, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are heavily linked to May, while the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles are ready to rival the Yankees for the services of Romero and O’Brien.
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