The St. Louis Cardinals are red-hot, having won eight of their last 10 games and secured at least a series split against the rival Chicago Cubs.
They are 44-36 and now sit just 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the top spot in the National League Central. However, their trade deadline strategy is not clear.
Chad Jennings, Aaron Gleeman and Tim Britton of The Athletic listed the Cardinals as a team on the fence in terms of buying or selling, as they are a contender, but have several tradable pieces.
The insiders predicted that the Cardinals could trade All-Star closer Ryan Helsley and bring back a solid return.
“The Red Sox and Cardinals could trade their closers (Aroldis Chapman and Ryan Helsley) for a meaningful return, while entrusting the ninth inning to someone younger.”
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The Cardinals missed their best opportunity to trade Helsley last offseason after he set a franchise record with 49 saves and was named the NL Reliever of the Year.
He has likely lost some value, as his ERA sits at 3.54 after he posted a 2.04 mark in 2024.
However, rental pitching is always at a premium, and if last year’s trade deadline was any indication, such pitchers will bring back solid returns for selling teams.
The Cardinals are contending, so that complicates things a little bit, but they could certainly bring back a solid haul for Helsley, as he likely will not be back in 2026.
If Helsley is traded, St. Louis would have to give the closer’s role to another reliever, but the deadline represents their last opportunity to capitalize on his value.
It will be interesting to see what his market looks like.
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