Cardinals All-Star Takes Stance On Future With St. Louis, Per Insider

St. Louis has some big decisions to make over the next few months

Aug 29, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Will the St. Louis Cardinals trade away one of their biggest weapons over the next few weeks?

St. Louis may not have made the playoffs in 2024, but that doesn't mean that there weren't some very big bright spots. The Cardinals made progress after a rough 2023 season and finished about .500 with an 83-79 record.

Everything has been doom and gloom for the Cardinals this offseason, but they did make progress and were in playoff contention until late in the summer. One of the biggest reasons for this was the performance of the bullpen.

St. Louis had the sixth-best bullpen in baseball with a 3.64 ERA. All-Star closer Ryan Helsley is a big reason for this success as he had a historic season for the Cardinals as he racked up 49 saves and logged a 2.04 ERA in 65 outings.

Helsley came away with the 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award for his incredible season, but his future is in question now. He has one more year left before hitting free agency and there has been a lot of chatter about a potential trade.

While this is the case, he would prefer to remain in St. Louis but will be "professional" no matter what happens, according to MLB.com's John Denton.

"Similarly, Helsley also never thought once about playing anywhere other than St. Louis," Denton said. "However, the franchise’s shift to a 'reset' could see the reigning National League Reliever of the Year heading elsewhere via a blockbuster trade.

"Sometimes guys think the grass is greener on the other side, but that’s not always the case,” Helsley said as transcribed by Denton. "There are a lot of good organizations out there and the Cardinals aren’t the only one that have a winning history. If I get traded, I hope it’s to a team that I can help win. But that would be an emotional day because I grew up rooting for the Cardinals, got drafted by them in 2015 and I’ve spent 10 years with them. But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to be professional and move on if it comes to that."

It would make sense to trade him if they don't see him in their long-term plans because the Cardinals likely could get a large haul for him. But, he is a homegrown star and it would be sad to see him go.

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