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Phillies Land Jose Alvarado Replacement in Trade Idea With Cardinals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 19, 2025 5:00 PM ET

With Jose Alvarado being suspended for 80 games and the entire postseason after failing a performance-enhancing drug test, the Philadelphia Phillies have to get a move on. Heading into the deadline, the expectation around Major League Baseball was for the Phillies to add a reliever or two. With Alvarado out, arguably their best reliever, things only took a turn for the worse on Sunday.

Searching for potential trade options, RJ Anderson of CBS Sports proposed the idea of the Phillies trading for Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals, a dominant right-hander, who would be a welcome addition to the Phillies roster.

“Helsley has established himself as one of the sport's top relievers over the last few years, earning Cy Young Award consideration in both 2022 and 2024. Will he be made available at the deadline? That would seem to depend on how the Cardinals play over the next two months. For now, anyway, they seem too good to deal their top reliever. It is worth noting that Helsley is an impending free agent, however, and that could alter the Cardinals' calculus on such a move,” Anderson wrote.

Helsley hits free agency at the end of the season and is making $8.2 million in 2025. If the Phillies want to keep him around after the end of the campaign, which should be the plan if the idea is to compete in the near future, they’ll have to get creative.

It remains uncertain what the Cardinals plan to do at the deadline, but some have suggested that they might not be sellers. If they don't move on from Helsley, the Phillies would have to find a different option.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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