If the St. Louis Cardinals don't turn things around soon they will have some tough decisions to make.
St. Louis entered the 2024 season with high expectations after reloading the roster this past offseason after a disastrous 2023 season. The Cardinals significantly boosted its starting rotation and bullpen but the team hasn't had the success they hoped for.
The Cardinals currently are in last place in the National League Central with a disappointing 15-20 record and are 4-6 over their last 10 games. St. Louis' struggling offense is the biggest reason why for the disappointing record.
If the Cardinals can't fix things, they likely will end up being sellers ahead of the trade deadline once again like last season. If this ends up being the case, one player who could be moved is All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.
"Mentioned (Monday) on MLB Network that the Cardinals quietly have positioned their roster to be quick sellers if they wish to be, and one of the biggest moves they could make is dealing Ryan Helsley," Goold said. "It would be similar to what the Yankees did in 2016 to be sellers and get a quick reset without taking several steps back for a year or more. Of course, it's not like the Yankees have won a World Series since then.
"If the Cardinals want to pivot quickly away from this roster and into a new-look, even fast-forward rebuild they would look at all of the options. Dramatic changes would be considered, for sure, and I think it's not being talked about enough how they've set up the roster for that possibility."
Helsley has been great so far this season and is positioning himself well to earn his second All-Star nod. He has an impressive 1.50 ERA and 19-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in a league-leading 18 appearances. Helsely also is leading the league with 11 saves already.
He has been great for the Cardinals but if they can't turn things around, we could see him on the move this season.
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