The St. Louis Cardinals have been at the center of a lot of trade speculation this season and a lot of it revolves around expiring pitcher Ryan Helsley.
There are a lot of teams, including the New York Yankees, who would be a perfect fit for Helsley this season. The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign him in free agency, so trading him will be the best option.
In a potential deal with the Yankees, the Cardinals could look to target top outfield prospect Spencer Jones as the headliner in the return.
Jones, 24, is slashing .228/.372/.554 through 26 games at the Double-A level this season. His power numbers have been incredible, though he's struggled to hit for average. His lack of a solid batting average is overshadowed by his on-base percentage near .400 and his OPS of over .900.
He would be the perfect return for the Cardinals in a potential deal for Helsley. Relief pitchers were valued quite highly at the trade deadline last season and it's bound to be the case again this year. With Helsley being the top relief arm expected to be on the trade block, he's going to be able to land the Cardinals a star like Jones.
For the Yankees, adding Helsley would be a perfect addition to the bullpen. Devin Williams has struggled and Helsley could come in and take some of the load off Williams and Luke Weaver's shoulders.
New York could afford to cut ties with Jones because it has a solid big league outfield. Jasson Dominguez, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger are big league outfielders and Jones will struggle to find playing time around them.
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