Cardinals Ryan Helsley Could Be Traded To AL East Rival Looking For Bonafide Closer

The St. Louis Cardinals have discussed their desire to seek the trade market this winter to help with their rebuilding journey but no deals have been made yet.

St. Louis' two most valuable trade chips are 10-time Gold Glove defender Nolan Arenado and 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Ryan Helsley.

Although Arenado's market is murky due to his financial commitment, Helsley is a highly coveted asset for whom the Cardinals should have no problem finding a suitor, such as an American League East rival in need of a solidified closing pitcher.

"That suggests the (Boston) Red Sox still need a closer," ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote Monday when discussing Boston's offseason agenda. "Maybe that's Liam Hendriks coming back from Tommy John surgery, but he's obviously a wild card. The good news is there are plenty of potential closers available either in trade (Ryan Helsley or Devin Williams) or free agency (Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez)."

This isn't the first time Helsley has been linked to the Red Sox as an option to replace RHP Kenley Jansen at the back of Boston's bullpen.

With Jansen being a free agent equipped with a high projected market value of roughly $73 million over a four-year deal, according to Spotrac, it could be in the Red Sox's best interest to trade for Helsley instead of re-signing the four-time All-Star.

Trading Helsley to the Red Sox might be wise for the rebuilding Cardinals, who could look to poach from Boston's robust farm system.

For now, it doesn't look like Helsley's going anywhere but that could change quickly, especially now that superstar Juan Soto has finally decided where he'll play in 2025.