Rumors have surrounded the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason ever since the initial reports came out that they would be entering a rebuild. A lot of the rumors surrounding the team consisted of potential trades the Cardinals could make.
Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Ryan Helsley are the three main names being discussed in the trade talk, but none of them have been moved to this point.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently debunked one of the biggest rumors surrounding the Cardinals.
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“As the St. Louis Cardinals reset, closer Ryan Helsley appears perhaps their most obvious trade candidate,” Rosenthal wrote. “But teams talking to the Cardinals are under the impression the team will hold Helsley, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak does not dispute that point.”
“It’s something we will always remain open-minded to, but our plan is to have him be part of our organization,” Mozeliak told Ken Rosenthal and The Athletic on Thursday.
Helsley would be the dream target of any team that’s aggressively trying to win right now. His contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, but he’s one of the best closers in the game.
In 2024, Helsley posted a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 206 ERA+. He led the league in saves with 49 despite playing on a team that only recorded 83 wins.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees are two teams that would see Helsley as the dream acquisition. Both 2024 World Series participants are losing their closers to free agency this winter and Helsley would be a massive upgrade compared to what they had before.
They, along with the rest of the league, will need to wait until the season kicks off before they can take a real shot at Helsley.
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