Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals, Orioles Mock Blockbuster Could Solve Issue For Both Teams

Should the Cardinals consider a deal of this nature?

Patrick McAvoy

May 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
May 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals are looking for ways to improve their farm system and lower payroll.

There are a handful of ways to do this, but it seems like one of the easiest would be to trade star closer Ryan Helsley. This isn't a knock at Helsley by any means. He is fantastic and has developed into one of the best overall relievers in baseball. Helsley logged an impressive 2.04 ERA in 2024 across 65 outings to go along with a league-leading 49 saves.

He hasn't had an ERA above 2.45 since 2021 and has been an All-Star twice over that stretch. Helsley clearly is great but will get paid very well soon. He's projected to make just over $8 million in 2025 and then will be a free agent afterward and make much more.

It seems like he is one of the more likely players to be moved by the Cardinals this winter and one team they should call is the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore won 91 games in 2024 and yet it had the 23rd-ranked bullpen ERA at 4.22.

Baltimore had Craig Kimbrel fill the closer role for a while with Félix Bautista out and he had one of the worst seasons of his career. Bautista hopefully will be back in 2025, but Helsley could be the perfect option to bolster the Orioles' bullpen.

It doesn't hurt that the Orioles have the best farm system in baseball as well. Baltimore needs to improve the bullpen and has a surplus of top-tier prospects. The Cardinals want to trade Helsley and recoup prospects. It almost makes too much sense.

It's unclear who the Orioles would be willing to give up, but a trade involving Helsley for two of Baltimore's top 15 prospects could be an interesting starting point in discussions.

More MLB: Cardinals Eight-Time All-Star Predicted To Cut Ties With St. Louis Soon

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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