Brewers adding righty starter May, lefty reliever Romero in deal with Cards (source)

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers have the National League’s best ERA, but you can never have too much pitching.

After falling short in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, the Brewers pivoted to making a deal with the rival Cardinals ahead of Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline to acquire right-handed starter Dustin May and lefty reliever JoJo Romero, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Monday. The clubs have not confirmed the deal.

A source told MLB.com that two fast-rising outfield prospects are going back to St. Louis in the swap: Alexander Frias (Brewers' No. 11 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Josiah Ragsdale (Brewers' No. 13).

TRADE DETAILS
Brewers receive: RHP Dustin May, LHP JoJo Romero
Cardinals receive: OF Alexander Frias (MIL's No. 11 prospect), OF Josiah Ragsdale (No. 13 prospect)

That was a price Milwaukee officials were willing to pay to fortify an especially young starting rotation anchored by ace right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, all of whom are approaching or have already passed their career innings limits. Adding another starter was critical to help manage those workloads.

And in Romero, who has been on the IL since undergoing an emergency appendectomy in mid-July, the Brewers can add to their collection of high-leverage relievers once he’s ready to pitch later this month.

From the moment May signed a one-year deal with a mutual option with the Cardinals ahead of the 2026 season, the notion of a healthy four months in the starting rotation painted the 28-year-old as a prime trade candidate to a contender looking for a boost to its rotation.

May’s time in St. Louis got off to a rocky start, but after a pair of dud starts to open 2026, his next dozen starts produced a sterling 2.54 ERA. May averaged 6.19 innings per start over that stretch, demonstrating his ability to take the ball and cover quality innings. May’s checkered injury history was put to the test on a couple of occasions in the summer as he endured back tightness during a rough start in Kansas City on June 21, but all indications from the club are that May feels as good physically as he ever has.

His numbers have leveled off in recent weeks, but May’s midsummer run of brilliance is a recent proof of concept lending toward his presence as an intriguing boost to a contending rotation.

Since arriving in St. Louis from Philadelphia in a trade for Edmundo Sosa in 2022, Romero has been a late-game relief mainstay for the Cardinals from the left side. Romero has experience handling the toughest lefty lanes an opposing lineup can provide and has compiled ERAs below 3.40 in each of his last three seasons. Romero jumped on the radar as one of the game’s top lefty setup men in 2025, when he posted a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings.

Romero has been on the 15-day IL since July 17, but he played catch last week and should be ready to pitch for the Brewers by the end of this month, a source said. The Cardinals had not yet offered a firm timeline for his return to baseball activities, but Romero has been seen at the ballpark and around the team as he moves toward a return to the mound.