With rumors around the St. Louis Cardinals and the offseason in regards to players the team would acquire, one pitcher that could be in contention is Ryan Helsley. As the rumors with the Cardinals will no doubt continue throughout the winter, the pitcher himself will reveal the chances of a reunion.

It wasn't that long ago that St. Louis traded Helsley before the last deadline to the New York Mets, where he struggled mightily relatively. In speaking with Cardinals Territory, Helsley would say that he “would expect” St. Louis to contact him about a potential reunion.

“I think I would expect them to reach out…I don't know if it'll be serious, but maybe to check in and kind of gauge the water, so to speak,” Helsley said. “Had a good talk with Chaim [Bloom] after I was traded, and it's really encouraging on possibly, maybe, coming back there. And, obviously, things changed. That was three months ago, but I really enjoyed my time getting to know Chaim a little bit, and think the Cardinals' future is in really good hands with him.”

Former Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley on message after Mets' struggles

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New York Mets relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) reacts as he walks off the field after the top of the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

When Helsley was traded from the Cardinals to the Mets, there was a conversation about how he would play, as he ended up struggling with a 7.20 ERA in 22 games played. Speaking to The Athletic, Helsley would send a message to any team interested, reminding them of the career he's had with St. Louis since 2019 and that he could be a “backend guy.”

“Hopefully they see me as a backend guy,” Helsley said. “I think the last month or so that I’ve struggled here, a lot of things can be attributed to it. And even the game’s greatest players go through it. In free agency, teams are more willing to pay you on ‘stuff.’ There are more things teams can quantify nowadays than ERA. Teams can dig deep and see what they like about guys. There are 30 teams out there, and I’ll be willing to listen to all of them.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen if the Cardinals will pursue Helsley this offseason.