The St. Louis Cardinals have had an up-and-down season. They are in postseason contention and could be trending towards buying at the trade deadline.
However, they were recently swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and held scoreless in all three games, so it remains to be seen which direction they are headed in.
One of their top trade chips is All-Star closer Ryan Helsley. He was last year’s National League Reliever of the Year after setting a Cardinals franchise record with 49 saves.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, rival executives believe that St. Louis will ultimately trade Helsley. This of course depends on how they perform in July.
“The Cardinals are in the NL Central and NL wild-card races and appear closer to being a buyer than a seller. However, Helsley is eligible for free agency this offseason and St. Louis could decide that trading him at the deadline for future assets makes more sense than keeping him. How the team performs in July will determine if Helsley is dealt, according to one AL GM who has talked with the Cardinals,” Bowden writes.
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Helsley is 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA this season and has recorded 16 saves with St. Louis. The cost of rental relief pitchers tends to be high at trade deadlines.
This means that St. Louis may have to be blown away by an offer for Helsley to even consider trading him. If they do get the right offer, then it might make sense for them to at least consider a deal.
The two-time All-Star posted a 2.04 ERA last season. While he hasn’t been his usual dominant self this season, he still carries a ton of value and could bring back a haul for St. Louis.
The Cardinals opted to hold onto Helsley in the offseason rather than trade him despite various rumors. But the deadline represents their last chance to capitalize on his value.
We’ll see what St. Louis decides to do with their All-Star closer.
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