The Phillies and Cardinals announced agreement on a trade sending infielder Edmundo Sosa from St. Louis to Philadelphia for left-handed reliever JoJo Romero. Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of the Athletic first reported Sosa was being traded to Philadelphia. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in the past couple days that the Cards have been discussing trades involving Sosa and could bring Paul DeJong back to the big league roster.
The Cards and Phillies enter play Saturday tied for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. It’s rare to see clubs this close in the standings exchange big leaguers, but the teams’ needs lined up well enough to facilitate a deal. Sosa had surpassed DeJong on the depth chart late last season, receiving the lion’s share of shortstop playing time down the stretch and putting up a solid .271/.346/.389 line over his first extended run in the big leagues. Yet both players have since been supplanted, as the arrival of top prospect Nolan Gorman at second base has pushed Tommy Edman across the bag to shortstop.
Sosa, kicked to the bench in a utility capacity, has struggled significantly in 2022. He’s not collected a single homer in 131 plate appearances, hitting only .189/.244/.270 with a 29% strikeout rate. He’s out of minor league option years, so the Cardinals had to either keep Sosa on the active roster or make him available to other teams. They initially chose to option out DeJong to keep both players on the 40-man roster, but the latter has gotten out a strong run at Triple-A Memphis of late. DeJong has a .249/.313/.552 showing with 17 homers in 230 plate appearances since being optioned, and he’ll seemingly be recalled to back up Gorman, Edman and utilityman Brendan Donovan as a power-hitting depth infielder.
Philadelphia has a less robust collection of infielders than does St. Louis, giving them more motivation to keep Sosa on the active roster and hope he rediscovers something approaching his 2021 form. The Phils have relied on Bryson Stott and Didi Gregorius in the middle infield of late, and Gregorius has struggled for the second consecutive year. The forthcoming return of Jean Segura from the injured list figures to kick Stott back to shortstop, and it’s worth wondering how the Phillies will handle the infield mix at that point. Gregorius could move into a utility role, but his .218/.274/.320 line could put his roster spot into jeopardy. Philadelphia could also choose to option either of Johan Camargo or Yairo Munoz, each of whom has played sporadically (primarily spelling Gregorius against left-handed pitching) in a utility infield capacity.
Sosa is only 26 years old, and he’s controllable through the 2026 season. He’s likely to qualify for arbitration this offseason as a Super Two player, but he wouldn’t command an exorbitant salary coming off a rough showing in sporadic playing time this year. The Phillies could keep him around for a while as a depth infielder if they’re committed to keeping him on the active roster.
In exchange, the Phils send a left-handed bullpen arm to St. Louis. Romero has appeared in 25 MLB games over the past three seasons, pitching to a 7.89 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old has been quite home run prone in the big leagues, but he’s averaged nearly 95 MPH on his fastball and received decent grades on both his changeup and slider while he was a prospect.
Romero has missed the bulk of the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May, but he returned from the injured list a couple weeks ago. He’s in his second of three option seasons, so the Cards can move him between St. Louis and Memphis over the next year and a half if he holds his 40-man roster spot. St. Louis already has Genesis Cabrera, Zack Thompson, Packy Naughton and T.J. McFarland as left-handed relievers in the majors, but Romero adds a hard-throwing depth piece to the upper levels.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Whoa!!!
Stove is going now. Two trades minutes apart.
The improvement to the team at the trade deadline is nothing in return for Sosa… sounds about right. GO BLUES!
I had a feeling that Sosa was going to be traded to the Phillies. Since, I like the Phillies a lot I don’t mind Sosa playing for them. Maybe, the Cards will add Paul DeJong to the active roster because he was added to the taxi squad a few days ago.
This has bad deal written all over it… about as bad as the Ozuna trade, and Arozarena trade, at least they didn’t sell him for 50 prices of silver like Adolis Garcia! Luke Voit says hi?
Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen would look great in the starting rotation now! So would Marco Gonzales. Even Michael Wacha is pitching well in Boston. At least the Cards have something to show for Gonzales, and Wacha’s been lousy most of his career, so you can’t blame them for letting him go. Alcantara and Gallen really sting though.
I hope you’re not comparing the loss of Alcantara and Gallen or Arezarena to Sosa?
Can’t complain too hard about missing Gallen with Jazz around.
Every time the Phillies play Miami I think about how absurdly inane the Ozuna deal was.
Well, no, but someone else mentioned the Ozuna trade. Arozarena isn’t all that and a bag of chips.
Typical Move for the Cardinals!!! Perfectly good shortstop—- traded for left-handed relief help!!! With a 13.50 ERA!?!?
Lordy,McFarland is even better than that!!
Mason Winn is likely a year away.
Ok, but why
Huh….Maybe they have a taker for Gregorious….?
DFA Gregorious (and Familia)…
Keep Didi but Familia sucks!!!
Yes, that should be the next move.
Sosa was out of options and would have to be DFA’s (they obviously want DeJong back on the major league team), so they traded him for a 25-year-old lefty reliever.
Better than nothing… but Sosa is gonna get right and then this trade is gonna hurt badly.
Not really. Mason Winn is a year away, and he is the future at SS in St. Louis.
Jojo might not be getting steady playing time in the pen. He is good but hasn’t really had a chance since coming back from TJ. Phils will miss him (don’t quote era to me, anyone who saw him play before the injury knows he is an asset). Not sure about sosa. We already have to many middle infielders with Segura coming back. (Segura, stott, didi, Camargo, Munoz, maton).
game changing lol. phillies are a joke
But why do this if you’re St. Louis? They’re going to just trust DeJong? I think it makes more sense for Philly. Sosa is a solid defender and we all know they need defense.
Segura is coming back next week, Stott to SS where he belongs, Bohm at 3B, Sosa and Munoz off the bench, and Didi is outta here (along with Familia, I hope)…
The question is what are Cards getting in return. A pitcher?
positively_broad_st;
Dombrowski keeps making smart measured moves.
The Phillies are hanging in until Harper comes back.
Maybe they think Sosa could become a CF
That makes perfect sense.
They must love DeJong. No matter what he does they have his back. Sosa who could play any infield position and is steady. They toss him out like trash almost
They love DeJong for some reason
They paid him well, hence they feel the burn to play him.
DeJ0ng is a terrific fielder and a power hitter. Sosa is neither. Sosa is a good bench piece, nothing more.
DeJong was an above average defender 3 years ago. His defense has gotten abysmal over the last few seasons. Stop with the narrative.
DeJong will be on the bench. They love Edman at SS and Gorman at 2B as they should. DeJong will be a better bench player. Sosa swings at wild pitches and makes terrible decisions in the field. Plus, he was out of options. This trade is no bid deal either which way.
Exactly… minor league lefty with a career era over 7? For play making 4 WAR Edmundo Sosa? This is unbelievable….
Because DeJong is also a good defender and Sosa can’t hit any better than DeJong has the last couple of years. They have the same floor, but DeJong has a higher ceiling so Sosa was the definition of expendable.
DeJong is NOT a good defender anymore. Three years ago, maybe. But he’s been awful since the end of 2020.
Not a good defender?
Look at his advanced stats from last season:
OAA: +4
DRS: +6
UZR: +4.6
Not sure what you’re basing that off of but I’m going to have to disagree with your assessment of his defense.
DeJong became complacent with his multi-year contract. Typical nowadays in the MLB. He and Sosa have the same value on the field. Not worth more than a broken LH relief pitcher.
You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about. Dejong rates as one of the top defensive shortstops.
I watch almost every Cardinals game. So I’m basing it off is what I’ve seen. He doesn’t get to nearly as many balls anymore. But since you like the metrics…
2020 OAA: -3
2021 OOA: 4
2022 OAA: -1
I have a great idea of what I am talking about. Now, how long has DeJong been a top MLB shortstop? Not this year, not last year. Do you have any idea what you are talking about?
The guy gets his money, doesn’t have to try, and landed his sorry butt in the minors. I guess his elite defense isn’t quite elite enough, huh? His only shot back at the Cardinals is them trading Sosa.
DeJong is one of Mo’s extended mistakes and until that contract expires, the Cardinals will keep him and not admit they were wrong. That’s how Mo covers his mistakes, by hanging onto them regardless of what happens to the Cardinals. Otherwise, DeJong would be gone by now.
The Cardinals are about to make a big trade that involves Gorman, probably for Soto. DeJong will play out this season in the line-up in St. Louis, most likely.
That’ll be a bad deal as well… I’d rather see the Dodgers cough up their future ball club for 2 years of Juan Soto. Cardinals got to many good prospects, while prospects are being hyper valued I still think what st louis would have to give up for Soto is to much. I’m already pissed about this Sosa trade
This is a game changer!
Phillies trying to upgrade that horrific defense
Good luck Edmundo. I hope you get to play regularly and kick some a$$.
With Segura and Stott, he won’t play regularly
VonPurpleHayes;
I was right about Didi the first month of the season. You’ve been right ever since.
I haven’t seen something like him and Bohm on the left side of an infield for quite some time. They lose track of how many outs there are; are out of position on batted and thrown balls; and can’t run the bases. But at least Bohm is hitting…..for now.
Shame about Didi, but it seems his career may be at an end. I’m still big on Bohm despite the occasional blunder.
Very interesting. Cards trade their SS when they are in a playoff push. No sense whatsoever
Cardinals clear 40 man roster spot. Return seems low tho
Nope. Romero is on the 40-man.
Well dang. But judging from what I see from his results the past 4 season Romero is likely gonna be waived if needed.
He’s a utility infielder, not a starting SS. Not a big loss.
Have you watched Sosa play? Swings at everything out of the zone and takes everything across the plate
Sosa wasn’t their shortstop. He barely played.
Sosa is not our SS. Edman is the SS. Sosa rides the bench mostly.
He’s not even close to their shortstop. He’s an expendable utility player with no minor league options left.
Backup player – not the Cards SS
Brace yourself deadline is coming
Wow. That’s a blockbuster
This trade is trash for the Phillies
His role will be late innings defense. Two run lead in the 8th or 9th, pull Bohm and put in Sosa, whose more likely to make all the plays. Give the AB’s to Bohm (tearing it up lately) and try lock in the win with your best defensive team in the last two innings. Now they just need another defensively strong outfielder to go along with that philosophy, and a solid third starter would help a lot. Bullpen piece if they can score one, but they’ve been good there under Thomson.
Losing an arm with a 7.89 career ERA is bad?
Yes, it looks like the the winners of this trade are the Phillies. Sosa is a good player that can play multiple positions, although he hasn’t played that great this year. I wonder why Mozeliak keep adding some many lefty. Only from the draft the Cards signed three lefty pitchers and now they acquire Romero.
I meant to say no.
Yeah, god forbid you guys have someone who can play defense. lol
What? Trash for the Phillies on which planet?
Not sure why this posted 3 times when I only hit submit once.
I rather have traded DeJong. Gonna miss Sosa.
Dejong has a higher ceiling and is tearing it up the past few weeks in AAA.
Nobody is going to pick up DeJong’s contract at this point. He got sent down for a long time for a reason. His bat was completely gone and took horrible at bats. He’s having to TRY to earn a job back in the bigs…only now he’ll be on the bench instead of starting at short. I’m pulling for the guy because he plays hard and he’s costing the team money.
And good luck to Edmundo. He’s a versatile, talented fielder and seems to hit well when he gets consistent playing time. He’s young, cheap and has significant upside. I wish him well.
Edman and Gorman are still the starters, unless Gorman is traded. Then DeJong becomes the starting SS. Numbers wise, the best defense combo for the Cardinals is DeJong at SS and Edman at 2nd.
Nah. Donovan will become the starting second baseman in that scenario unless Dejong somehow gets hot, but I don’t see that happening tbh
Donovan is coming back down to earth lately. He is not showing himself to be an everyday player. He is solid just about everywhere he plays. But DeJong has an All-Star type glove, with power.
His glove has gotten worse since his gold glove. Way rather have Donovan at the bottom of the order. Still has the ability to get on base that’s what the cards need. Get guys on base to try and turn the lineup over to give Goldy and Arenado a chance to drive them in. Or Soto if they get him but I won’t believe it until I see it.
For a guy with a 13.50 ERA in 2 innings pitched this year!! WTF?
He just came of the IL. Could be a solid sleeper move for St. Louis. Give it time…
Guy has a 7.89 career era, He is a joke, Sosa has much more value. Phillies bent Mo. over big time.
Romero had a bad elbow, got it fixed, and is just now getting back. Romero might not do much this year, but has potential to produce as soon as next season. Sosa will always be what he is – a backup infielder. It is possible that the Cards will get the long-term benefit of this trade. Only time will tell…
This sums up the trade nively. Phillies get the immediate benefit, but Cards have get a bullpen piece with a higher ceiling.
JoJo has had a rough stretch, but the potential is there. He’s also a great personality and easy to root for.
As a Phillies fan, trust me I’m upset that JoJo is gone. He has good potential. He can be filthy if healthy
Good. Same for Sosa. Great glove. Has shown some ability to get on base but hasn’t hit much since AAA.
He’s out of options, so the COVID season kind of messed up his development.
“filthy if healthy”
Great!
Sounds like a lyric from a Country & Western song.
Yes, ‘My Pickup Truck Full of Beer is Filthy if Healthy’! Sounds like a #1 hit on the cow pop charts!
That just put the Cardinals over the top, of the Arch that is. Prolly still reeling from losing out on Castillo…
Nice pickup for the Phillies. Was hoping the Orioles would trade for Sosa.
Wow this is steal. Jojo is not good.
Cardinals aren’t stupid, though. Have to have seen something they can fix
They can probably get his ERA below 8.
He had a very brief stretch where he was solid. Definitely some potential there.
yeah, two years ago…
But Jojo downing his Monster Energy Drink and spiking the can when coming in from the bullpen will live on in Phillies lore!
Bye Bye T.J. McFarland.
Spot on.
Oh baby! Sets up great rivalry when both teams meet in NLCS!!
Little early in the day to cut you off, but you leave us no choice
Farhan where you at? This is what teams do when they are buyers, not sit on their hands. So please stop with the nonsense that the organization is buying because if that we’re true, you would be doing it now so the newly acquired players would be available for the series against the dodgers!
By then, the Giants will be completely out of contention. Oh that’s right, your motto is, “we were in on a lot of the top tier players.” The fan base is on to you, just look at the lack of attendance in the stands.
His bat really never came along this year. With Paul and 6 million dollar bat in AAA tearing the cover off the ball they were forced to make a move due to Sosa no longer having options. So better to get something than DFA him and get nothing.
I don’t see Paul somehow finding his groove again. Guy hadn’t hit a lick since May of 2019. The glove is pretty darn good.
Start printing those third wild card tshirts
Either way, once Segura comes back Stott needs to play over Sosa or Didi.
This is why I’ve nicknamed Derrick Goold “Day Late Derrick”. He literally gets everything wrong. Even the batting order.
Wasn’t Sosa supposed to be the future SS for the Cardinals.
Nope. That’s Masyn Winn.
Sosa was in the mix as a really solid utility guy who filled in at 2nd and short (as well as RF) and hit really well for a spell last year, but Sosa has always basically been a role player.
He had a slim chance to make an impact in the shortened spring, but didn’t play well. And now that Gorman’s ability has been confirmed in the bigs and Edman is a + shortstop, there’s just no place for Sosa. Donovan earned that bench spot, so Edmundo wasn’t gonna stick with the Cards.
I hope Edmundo gets back in the groove because he’s cheap, talented and seems to hit better when he gets ABs. He’s a good pickup right now for his defense and just might find his swing again.
All the experts saying Sosa was going to an AL west team must be held accountable. Suspended without pay and a written apology starts the forgiveness process but you’ve lost public trust and there’s no coming back from that.
Here is a fine trade; an Infielder hitting under .190 for a reliever with an ERA over 13.00.
Thos stats ignore the true story. A hard throwing lefty coming off a big injury with huge bounceback potential and an excellent defensive SS off the bench.
Phillies win this trade.
The real question isn’t whether Sosa is of value to the Cardinals but whether Stl got fair value for him in trade.
I certainly see value for Philadelphia; one need only go back a year to find Sosa putting up solid offensive numbers while playing above average defense, for a combined 1.4 WARP, and his ability to play multiple positions gives him value even if he doesn’t hit enough to be a starter long term. In short, he’s the type of young inexpensive player the Phillies have not been able to develop themselves, and it’s obvious why they would want him.
For the Cardinals, one has to squint a bit harder and have more imagination to see Romero providing equal value.. He’s never produced at the major league level, and you have to go back some to find minor league numbers that get you excited (Umm, those 2017 single A stats look nice). Yes, he’s a lefty and that gives him bonus points and I like the stories of him crushing Red Bull cans on his forearm but it really comes down to whether the Cardinals think they can unlock something that eluded the Phillies. Time will tell, but I have to also say, the Cardinals are notorious for shipping viable albeit non-star major leaguers off their roster without getting equal value in return.
I think the Phillies get the edge here until Romero shows something he’s thus far not shown.
The Cardinals should be running away with the division. I can’t pin point the problem. I don’t think Juan Sosa is the answer. These Cards are not playing to win; they are playing to not lose, if that makes sense.
Injuries are the problem. Tons of injuries. An avalanche of injuries. A mountain of injuries covered by tons of injuries which came from an avalanche of injuries… I hope I’ve shed some light on this problem that’s somehow eluded you.
They’re playing hard, but they’ve been pressing and are gassed.
With the easiest schedule in the second half and steadily getting some of the injured guys back, this team will look better.
*easiest second-half schedule in all of baseball