Insider Addresses Cardinals All-Star’s Potential Availability

 The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the best relievers in baseball, even with a slow start to the 2025 Major League Baseball campaign. 

Ryan Helsley hasn’t followed up his 2024 masterful campaign with the performance he likely has wanted to have. So far this season he has a 3.43 ERA in 13 games. He has a 13-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 innings pitched. He hasn't had the same season as last year, but he has still been solid.

While this is the case, there’s clearly a lot of love for him around the league and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman said that he will be the "best reliever available" this summer.

"The best reliever available is expected to be Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who’s a free agent after the year. The 100-mph-throwing Helsley is employing a curve more," Heyman said. "As for lefty relievers, the trade supply is almost nil. The (New York Mets’) signing of Brooks Raley is especially prescient with Danny Young and excellent A.J. Minter officially out for the year."

It’s not hard to see why teams around the league likely would want him. Last year, Helsley he finished the season with a 2.04 ERA, 79-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 49 saves for St. Louis.

The Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, though. If they can keep winning games, there will be no reason to trade Helsley away this summer ahead of the trade deadline.