Cardinals Star On The Outs? Insiders Talk ‘Pure Rental’

Will the St. Louis Cardinals trade Ryan Helsley?

The All-Star closer has been a great piece for St. Louis over the last seven seasons. He’s been great and won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award last year after racking up 49 saves and a blistering 2.04 ERA in 65 appearances.

This year, he has a 3.19 ERA in a contract year and the talk of the season has been about the chances of him getting traded. The Athletic's Tim Britton, Aaron Gleeman, and Chad Jennings included him on the "MLB trade deadline Big Board 2.0" and talked about the possibility.

"Value: Closer with strong track record," Britton, Gleeman, and Jennings said. "Analysis: Helsley figured to be one of the big fish available at the deadline — at least until the Cardinals perched themselves firmly in the postseason picture in the NL. St. Louis said recently it doesn’t intend to deal from its bullpen, but it will re-assess throughout July. A closer who’s received down-ballot Cy Young votes in two of the last three seasons, Helsley hasn’t been as sharp in 2025, with five blown saves. Unlike some other Cardinals, he’d be a pure rental."

Right now, the Cardinals have a 49-44 record despite a cold streak recently from the starting rotation. If the Cardinals can stay above .500 and in contention for a playoff spot, it makes sense to keep him and see what happens. If the team struggles, then that opens the door for a deal.