Cardinals Urged To Trade Star To Royals In 'One Big Move' Of Offseason

What type of moves could the Cardinals end up actually making this offseason?

Jun 20, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the home plate tarp logo during the Boston Red Sox batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Major League Baseball offseason finally is starting to heat up a little bit.

It has been a slow start to the offseason. but the first major move happened on Tuesday night as two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $182 million.

Soon enough, more moves will follow. The Juan Soto sweepstakes is the biggest thing to watch right now across Major League Baseball but there will be plenty of trades and signings over the next few months.

ESPN's David Schoenfield put together a hypothetical list of "one big move" each team should make this offseason. For the St. Louis Cardinals, Schoenfield suggested a trade with the Kansas City Royals involving star closer Ryan Helsley.

"St. Louis Cardinals trade (right-handed pitcher) Ryan Helsley to the Kansas City Royals for (right-handed pitcher) Blake Wolters," Schoenfield said. "These two franchises rarely make deals with each other -- only one since 2016, and that was simply St. Louis acquiring Anthony Misiewicz from K.C. for cash considerations in 2023 -- so maybe this is a long shot. But it makes sense, especially if the Cardinals, as stated, are focusing on a reset season in 2025 that will focus on youth.

"With Helsley coming off a monster 49-save season but headed to free agency after 2025, he should be available. The Royals made a nice pickup last trade deadline in acquiring reliever Lucas Erceg from the A's, but their bullpen depth was still a soft spot overall (the pen was 21st in the majors in ERA). An Erceg-Helsley late-game combo would be dynamic. Meanwhile, Wolters is a young, interesting pitching prospect."

Wolters currently is the Royals' No. 4-ranked prospect, and he logged a 4.20 ERA across 14 starts in his first professional season in 2024. He was selected in the second round of the 2023 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the Royals and seems to have high upside.

Helsley may not stick around with the Cardinals in the long term. Maybe it could make sense to take a chance on a high-ranking pitching prospect like Wolters.

More MLB: Cardinals Would Be Wise To Consider Deal With Yankees Two-Time All-Star