Cardinals Insider Proposes Intriguing Idea That Would Keep $80 Million Star At Bay

St. Louis would love to retain the flamethrower for 2025

Jun 5, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This upcoming offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals could make many changes to the big-league roster as they look to reset after years of neglecting player development.

With more resources being pumped into the farm system for next season, the Cardinals will look to reduce payroll. Several stars, such as Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, have been mentioned as potential trade chips.

However, one vital asset to the Cardinals' roster might be retained despite the recent plethora of rumors and speculations about his being traded this winter.

"Unless, that is, the Cardinals see a transition 2025 season as the right time to truly explore the idea of (Ryan) Helsley starting," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Ben Frederickson wrote Friday. "Could be fun. Certainly would be interesting. If not, probably best to trade him."

Helsley, the Cardinals' bonified closing pitcher and St. Louis' all-time single-season saves leader, has never started a game as a major leaguer.

However, the 30-year-old has experience as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, so it's not like Helsley would be learning an entirely new craft.

The flamethrower has excelled as the Cardinals closer -- logging a 7-4 record with a 2.04 ERA, 79-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .210 batting average against and a 1.10 WHIP in 66 1/3 innings pitched for St. Louis this year.

Given that he led the league in saves in 2024 and is entering his final year of arbitration -- in which he'll receive a significant pay raise -- it would make sense for St. Louis to trade him if they're looking to rebuild fully. He would yield a generous return for the Cardinals that could help them long-term.

It's likely doubtful that St. Louis would risk losing maximum value for Helsley by neglecting to trade him this winter so he can join the rotation in 2025. Seeing the fireballer pitch for more than three outs per game would be exciting but considering he struggled in 2023 with an inconsistent workload, it wouldn't be shocking to see him flounder as a starter. As Frederickson said, it's "probably best to trade him."

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