Insider Reveals Why Cardinals-Mets Blockbuster Almost Didn't Happen

The St. Louis Cardinals traded away one of the top overal relievers in baseball ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline in Ryan Helsley.

Even in a somewhat down year by his standards, he's been great overall. Helsley has a 2.84 ERA and 44-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio 38 innings pitched. He also has 21 saves on the season so far. The New York Mets acquired him ahead of the trade deadline and he has made two appearances so far for the organization and hasn't allowed an earned run yet.

The Mets certainly seem like a good situation for him to join. The Mets are 63-50 and among the top contenders in baseball. Now, the Mets' bullpen features a two-headed monster of Helsley and Edwin Díaz at the end of games.

It seems like he landed in a good spot ahead of free agency, but in the aftermath of the trade deadline, reports have popped up about deals that didn't happen, including one with the Mets that if it had gotten done, could've hurt Helsley's chances of landing in town. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal shared a column talking about the fallout of the deadline and noted that the Mets pursued former Athletics fireballer Mason Miller before he ultimately landed with the San Diego Padres.

"After the Padres, the A’s viewed the Mets as the most serious about Miller," Rosenthal said. "One source briefed on the Mets’ conversations described the team’s pursuit of Miller as 'very serious,' representing the talks with the A’s as 'substantial.' But the talks failed to advance, and the Mets in the final two days before the deadline acquired two other relievers, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley, after adding Gregory Soto earlier."

For Helsley, and the Cardinals overall, it's fortunate that the Padres gave up a massive package for Miller.