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With St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley being in rumors ahead of the trade deadline, it does seem very likely that he is moved before the cutoff on the evening of July 31. Even with Cardinals reliever Helsley indicating a high likelihood that he'll be traded, the team is reportedly in a good position to deal him.
In the latest column from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, he spoke about how other relievers in the trade market, like Mason Miller, Emmanuel Clase, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax, are likely to yield high returns. However, Rosenthal would say that teams could go for a player that is “30 percent of the price” and how “many teams prefer” acquiring Helsley.
“Or, for maybe 30 percent of the price, do you acquire the St. Louis Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley as a rental?” Rosenthal wrote. “Many teams would prefer Helsley, who is not quite what he was last season when he won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best reliever in the National League, but is still pretty darned good.”
When it comes to the teams interested in Helsley, Buster Olney of ESPN would label the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees as potential destinations.
“The St. Louis Cardinals are two games over .500, with the industry waiting to see whether they will deal closer Ryan Helsley,” Olney wrote. “The expectation is that they will, given the tough NL playoff landscape. The Tigers could be interested, maybe the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, or Yankees.”
Cardinals' Ryan Helsley blunt about his future
While the rumors around the suitors for the Cardinals' reliever will continue to be talked about, there have been multiple reports that mention the same teams. Like Olney, MLB.com's Jon Morosi would also speak on the Phillies and how they are likely to be “very aggressive” in looking to get Helsley.
“In some ways, they have overperformed their expectations, and yet they are still in a position where they are likely to be sellers, especially with Helsley, who is in the final year of his contract,” Morosi said on MLB Network on Friday morning. “Now, you think about the teams out there that are looking for bullpen help, I would mention right away, the Philadelphia Phillies, even though Helsley is a rental, I do believe they would be very aggressive in trying to get Helsley in a trade like this.”
So far this season, Helsley sports a 3.00 ERA to go along with 21 saves and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. He's been honest about his status, saying that this is “as great as it's ever been” of a time for him to be dealt, according to The Athletic.
“The likelihood is probably as great as it's ever been for me to get traded,” Helsley said. “I would say it's 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay.”
It remains to be seen what the foreseeable future holds for Helsley with the trade deadline on July 31.
