Cardinals Viable Trade Chip 'Would Love To Stay' With St. Louis Long-Term

The St. Louis Cardinals have opened the second half of their 2025 season with a 1-4 record and are slowly increasing their chances of selling before the July 31 trade deadline.

After being swept in a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak revealed that trade interest in several St. Louis players has "picked up rapidly."

Mozeliak will likely wait till the final three days before the deadline to decide whether to part ways with several feasible Cardinals trade chips, including a fan favorite who isn't interested in leaving St. Louis anytime soon.

"Three of the Cardinals' relievers — All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, setup man Phil Maton and swingman lefty Steven Matz — are all free agents at season’s end and have drawn varying degrees of interest from other teams," The Athletic's Derrick Goold reported Tuesday night. “'I would love to stay here long-term, but I also understand teams have to look at the return,' Helsley said. 'You see both sides of it as a fan of the game and also as a player. If we traded someone and we get the return that helps the organization down the road or we can get someone to make a deeper push this year. It’s hard to make the postseason every year, so you want that chance.'”

Helsley has posted a 3-1 record with a 3.18 ERA, 37-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .260 batting average against and a 1.41 WHIP in 34 innings pitched for St. Louis in 2025.

The two-time All-Star will become a free agent for the first time in his seven-year career this upcoming offseason but with the Cardinals rebuilding, it might not make sense for the franchise to re-sign Helsley, whose market value could be high.

However, there's a decent chance St. Louis will hold onto the 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year through the rest of this year. By retaining Helsley this summer, the Cardinals could extend a qualifying offer to him for 2026 in the upcoming offseason and potentially receive a valuable draft pick if he declines the proposal.