The St. Louis Cardinals are projected to be one of the busiest teams this offseason, both in terms of free agency and on the trade market. Rival teams have been hot on Brendan Donovan, as well as other controllable bats like Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Nolan Gorman, each of whom have been murmurs of trade speculations for the last year.
Outside of the lefty bats, pitching has been a topic of discussion for the organization, as well as the future makeup of the staff. Sonny Gray is a potential trade possibility, and the rest of the pitching staff is riddled with questions, especially after the Cardinals traded their senior relievers at the deadline last season.
However, they could answer at least one bullpen question by reuniting with one of the arms that were sent away to refill the farm system. In a recent episode of Cardinal Territory, reliever Ryan Helsley stated that he expects the Cardinals to contact him about a potential move.
Former closer Ryan Helsley anticipates the Cardinals reaching out about a reunion
The moment the Cardinals’ season slipped toward another postseason miss, it felt inevitable that some expiring contracts would be moved, and Ryan Helsley saw it coming. The longtime fan favorite wasn’t shocked when he was shipped to the New York Mets. In fact, he said he understood why the deal had to happen and even hinted he would be open to returning to St. Louis once winter rolled around. Back then, it looked like a guarantee he would pitch himself into a big payday as one of baseball’s premier closers. Then everything unraveled in New York.
Helsley’s stint with the Mets was rough from the start. In twenty appearances, he posted a 7.20 ERA with an elevated walk rate and too many home runs. Instead of becoming the final bullpen piece for a club with playoff hopes, he finished 0 and 3 with four blown saves and left major questions about his value on the open market. His career numbers as a closer remain strong with more than one hundred saves, but his struggles in lower leverage moments were glaring. He allowed fifteen runs and six homers in just over thirty five innings of those situations. Still, he turns only thirty one next season and has been healthy when used properly. During his appearance on Cardinal Territory with Jim Hayes and Kyle Gibson, Helsley shared that Chaim Bloom checked in with him after the trade and he expects St. Louis to show some real interest.
Helsley earned eight point two million dollars last season in his final arbitration year. Spotrac predicts he could land thirteen million annually while MLB Trade Rumors sees him getting two years at twenty four million. Both numbers are very manageable for the Cardinals as they reshape their bullpen. A reunion could mirror last season where Helsley builds value early and becomes a trade asset if the team fades again, or he could sign for longer and help anchor the late innings while the young arms develop.
Through all the rumors, Helsley has been upfront that he understands the business side of the game. That honesty alone kept the door open for a return, and even after the arbitration tension from last winter, a St. Louis reunion still feels like the right move.