Cardinals Projected $80 Million Star Predicted To Leave St. Louis

St. Louis will have some tough decisions to make in the near future

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There could be some serious changes on the way for the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis has some tough choices to make with the long offseason ahead of it. The Cardinals have hinted that they want to cut payroll, and this already has led to trade speculation. A lot of this chatter has come from the organization itself, with St. Louis specifically mentioning Sonny Gray.

There will be other moves at least speculated, and FanSided's Miranda Remaklus predicted that star closer Ryan Helsley will be on his way out of town.

"After earning 49 saves for the Cardinals in 2024, Helsley is heading into his final season of arbitration before becoming a free agent in 2026," Remaklus said. "It would be terrible to see him move on, but Helsley has earned a considerable pay increase for 2025.

"Seeing the Cardinals move on from their home-grown closer would be painful. The team is looking to make significant payroll cuts. The organization should look to make a move now to get something in return for him via trade, as his worth in free agency will likely fall outside the Cardinals' budget."

Helsley arguably was the best closer in baseball in 2024 and is still under team control. A team could land him as a superstar on a cheap deal, While this is the case, he won't be cheap for long. Helsley currently has a market value of $80 million over six years. Soon enough, he will hit free agency, and the Cardinals don't seem to want to hand out a deal of that size. Don't be shocked if a trade does happen.

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