Philadelphia Phillies Urged To Acquire Ryan Helsley in Trade With St. Louis Cardinals

A former MLB executive has urged the Philadelphia Phillies to make a trade for St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley.

Apr 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are a team that many people will be keeping a close eye on during the Winter Meetings.

With their regular season win total improving six 162-game seasons in a row, the team is ready to contend in the National League. But, success in the postseason hasn’t been as frequent.

After making the World Series in 2022, the team has seen their stay in the playoffs shorten. In 2023, they blew a 3-2 lead in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home. Just two months ago, they were defeated by the New York Mets in the NLDS.

As a result of their postseason struggles, the front office is open to shaking things up, as trade rumors have swirled.

All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm has been made available and they are gauging his market. The team would love to move Nick Castellanos, but that would likely be a salary dump or swap of contracts another team doesn’t want.

In any trade the team makes, the goal will likely be to bring back pitching. The Phillies need a fifth starting pitcher and their bullpen could have some holes in it depending on how free agency shakes out.

Two of their late-inning options, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, are both on the open market.

That is partly why Jim Bowden of The Athletic would like to see them make a move for a reliever during the Winter Meetings. He has urged Philadelphia to make a move for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.

“The Cardinals are focused on rebuilding and the Phillies need a hard-throwing, impact reliever. The Phillies lost two key high-leverage relievers to free agency — Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez — and have made it a priority to address that area this offseason,” wrote the former executive.

On paper, the teams look like they would be a match. Helsley would fill a need for the Phillies at the backend of their bullpen, and if Bohm is the centerpiece of a deal, he could help fill the void at third base, where Nolan Arenado is being shopped.

Last season, the Cardinals closer led the Major Leagues with 49 saves and had the most games finished in the NL with 62. He won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best closer/reliever in the NL as well, finishing the campaign with a 2.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts across 66.1 innings.

Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson has navigated the season without assigned roles for his bullpen arms, but Helsley is someone who would certainly factor into the mix right away for the most high-leverage appearances.