Potential Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals Ryan Helsley Deal Revealed

An MLB expert has shared a potential trade package the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals could work out for Ryan Helsley.

Jul 2, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Cardinals won 7-6. / John Geliebter-Imagn Images

One of the areas that the Philadelphia Phillies could have to find some replacements for this offseason is their bullpen.

After their struggles against the New York Mets in the NLDS, it would make sense that the front office would consider the possibility of making changes. But, their hand could be forced depending on how things shake out in free agency.

Two of their high-leverage arms, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, are on the open market. There is going to be a lot of competition to bring them back as both have late-game experience and would upgrade a lot of bullpens.

If the Phillies are unable to retain them, they are going to have to find replacements elsewhere.

One possible route for the team to take is making a trade.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic has urged the team to make a deal for Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals during the Winter Meetings that begin next week.

Halsey was incredible as the team’s closer in 2024 and has been a consistent producer for the last three seasons, cementing his place among the best relievers in the game. He has two All-Star appearances in that time and would be a great replacement for Estevez or Hoffman late in games.

After leading the Major Leagues with 49 saves this past year, his value will likely never be higher. In a bit of a retooling stage, it would make sense for the Cardinals to see what they could get for him on the open market.

What could a package between Philadelphia and St. Louis look like? Bowden has suggested possibly swapping third basemen in the deal as well, including Alec Bohm and Nolan Arenado in what would a salary dump.

“But they are trying to move Nolan Arenado and his contract, so perhaps if they package him with Helsley they could get third baseman Alec Bohm from the Phillies, which would be a much better long-term situation for St. Louis. (Bohm is 28 and under team control for two more years.) Arenado has a full no-trade clause; The Athletic’s Katie Woo has reported, according to a team source, he wouldn’t waive that clause unless it was for a contender,” the former MLB executive wrote.

It is hard to imagine the Phillies being willing to take on the remainder of the money on Arenado’s contract. With that in mind, Bowden has hypothesized the Cardinals could pay that number down and look to bring a prospect back along with Bohm.

Dante Nori, Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is who he suggested as a potential sweetener in the deal depending on how much of the money they decide to cover. A Helsey and Arenado for Bohm and Nori deal is one that could work well for both teams.

There would certainly be risks for the Phillies, as the drop in power numbers from Arenado are a concern. But he remains an elite fielder at third base and moving to Citizen’s Bank Park could wake his bat up even in the later stages of his career.