Romero was unable to win a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen to open the 2023 season, but managed to rapidly ascend the team's late-inning hierarchy upon his recall in early July. The 27-year-old even earned some looks as St. Louis' closer, logging three saves in 27 appearances before left knee tendinitis ended his season in September. While Romero primarily throws a mid-90's sinker to induce ground balls at a near-60 percent clip, he keeps hitters off-balance with an 86 mph changeup (45.3 percent whiff). Not to mention, the southpaw's 53.2 percent whiff rate on his slider was one of the highest in the league for that pitch type. This helped him produce above-average strikeout (28.6%) and walk (6.8%) rates, even if the sample was only 36.2 innings. Romero showed enough last year to continue to fill a high-leverage role for the Cardinals in 2024, but health has been an issue for him throughout his career. Read Past Outlooks