The St. Louis Cardinals sit at the .500 mark after their first 16 games of the 2025 season. They won a big game on Monday night over the Houston Astros to reach that mark for the first time since April 6.
Still, St. Louis is not expected to be a strong contender this year, and it’s very likely that by the time the trade deadline comes around, they will be sellers rather than buyers.
One piece that will generate a ton of interest is All-Star closer Ryan Helsley. He saved 49 games last year, setting a Cardinals franchise record.
Zach Pressnell of Newsweek proposed the idea of St. Louis sending him to the Boston Red Sox for prospects Franklin Arias and Jhostynxon Garcia.
“The biggest hole on Boston’s roster is the closer role. Aroldis Chapman and a few other pitchers have filled in the role, but Boston doesn’t have a shutdown guy to confidently go to in the ninth inning of a one-run game,” Pressnell wrote.
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“The best closer expected to be available in a trade is St. Louis Cardinals flame-thrower Ryan Helsley.”
Helsley’s 49 saves a season ago earned him National League Reliever of the Year honors. To the surprise of many, he was not traded this offseason as part of the Cardinals’ “reset.”
But if they are out of contention at the deadline or struggling to get to .500, then Helsley could be one of the first pieces to be traded away. In addition to revamping their player development system, St. Louis needs to add some prospects.
Former Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom will be taking over as head of baseball operations next year in St. Louis, and he is largely responsible for putting together Boston’s farm system.
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