The St. Louis Cardinals signaled their long-term plans this offseason by hiring Chaim Bloom to succeed president of baseball operations John Mozeliak in 2026. With the club expected to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, one player in particular is expected to draw the most interest.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that Cardinals’ All-Star closer Ryan Hesley could be the most coveted reliever available this summer, even amid his up-and-down start this season.
Related: Latest on St. Louis Cardinals’ plans with Nolan Arenado
- Ryan Helsley stats (ESPN): 3.21 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 7 saves, 14-10 K-BB in 14 innings
Helsley, age 30, earned All-MLB First Team honors in 2024 as the league leader in saves. He also received the NL Reliever of the Year Award after compiling a 2.04 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 49 saves across 66.1 innings pitched. However, St. Louis opted to keep him this offseason with its eyes set on a trade this summer.
The 6-foot-2 righty hasn’t been quite as effective this season. A year removed from holding opponents to a .210/.275/.273 triple-slash line with a .549 OPS, batters are now slashing .250/.375/.346 this year off Helsley. That’s in large part thanks to a career-worst 15.6 percent walk rate, nearly double last season’s mark (8.6%).
Related: Phillies, Diamondbacks eyeing trade for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
- Ryan Helsley contract (Spotrac): $8.2 million salary in 2025, free agent this winter
St. Louis certainly could’ve netted more for Helsley if they dealt him this winter, when he had a full season left on his contract. Now, he’ll be a half-season rental and his worsening command with a significant increase in his hits per 9 allowed (6.8 to 8.4) raises some concerns.
However, he was one of the best relievers in baseball from 2022-’24 with a 1.83 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Numerous World Series contenders will be in the market for a high-end reliever come July and Helsley is poised to be the best one available.
Related: MLB trade candidates, including St. Louis Cardinals’ stars
