Cardinals Trade 3 MLB Players at Deadline, Sending Nootbaar to Arizona

Q: With JoJo Romero sidelined by appendicitis, did the Brewers just risk top prospect depth for a delayed playoff reinforcement?

Yes — but it looks like a calculated risk rather than an overpay. Milwaukee did give up real prospect depth, especially Josiah Ragsdale, for a reliever who cannot help immediately. Romero is on the 15-day injured list after an emergency appendectomy, and multiple reports said he was unlikely to be activated as soon as eligible. The expected timetable points more toward mid-August than an immediate return, which means the Brewers likely traded for delayed bullpen help rather than instant innings. That said, the Brewers did not make this move for Romero alone. Dustin May is the present-value piece of the trade. He gives Milwaukee immediate rotation coverage for Robert Gasser’s spot or supports a six-man setup, which reduces strain on a pitching staff that has been managing injuries and workload all season. That lowers the chance the deal is judged solely on Romero’s health. Romero still fits what Milwaukee needs for the stretch run if he returns on schedule. Before the appendicitis, he had a 3.35 ERA over 43 innings with 43 strikeouts and solid ground-ball tendencies. For a first-place club trying to protect late leads in September and October, a left-handed reliever of that quality can matter even if he misses another week or two. So the Brewers did risk prospect depth for a player whose impact is delayed. But because May provides immediate value and Romero could still be back by mid-August, the trade reads more like a playoff-timing gamble than a reckless bet.

3 articles · Updated · St. Louis Post-Dispatch · Aug 3

Less than an hour before the deadline, St. Louis agreed to send outfielder Lars Nootbaar to Arizona, capping a rapid selloff from its major-league roster.
The move followed Monday deals that sent pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee as the Cardinals pivoted toward future-focused roster building.
In the Brewers trade, St. Louis received minor-league outfielders Alexander Frías and Josiah Ragsdale, both viewed as top-30 prospects in the system.
The deadline flurry underscores the Cardinals' shift under Chaim Bloom from a struggling 2026 club toward longer-term talent accumulation.