Cardinals May Have Next Closer Waiting In The Wings After Likely Ryan Helsley Trade

The St. Louis Cardinals are on a roll as of late. After falling to 14-19 on the season with a 9-3 loss to the New York Mets on May 2, the team has pulled off a seven-game winning streak and gone back over .500.

Their trade deadline strategy is unclear at the moment, but the expectation is that they will trade All-Star closer Ryan Helsley. In the event that they do though, that move won't necessarily sink them in the standings.

Mason Keith of Redbird Rants believes that if St. Louis does trade Helsley, they have the next closer waiting in the wings, that being pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo.

Gordon Graceffo is the obvious choice to become the next Cardinals closer," Keith wrote. "With his pitch repertoire and metrics, he looks to have the makeup of a promising closer. The Cardinals have recognized this and already used him in a save opportunity versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he successfully closed the game out."

Graceffo closed out a 9-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on April 30, going five innings and allowing one run in relief of Steven Matz, and he even earned a save against the Pirates last week.

He can touch the upper 90s with his fastball and has proven himself to be a viable relief option for St. Louis. He can be used as a starter or a reliever, but the Cardinals starting rotation appears set for now. The bullpen needs some work.

Graceffo has helped settle things down in the St. Louis bullpen, and he would be a solid choice to replace Helsley if the two-time All-Star is traded.