Jul 8, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Yankees Trade Rumors: All-Star Closer On The Market?

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Michael Rosenstein | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 11:00 AM ET

How does New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spell relief? It might be by placing a call to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cashman wants to get some fresh arms for manager Aaron Boone's bullpen ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

"The St. Louis Cardinals remain undecided whether they will trade closer Ryan Helsley at the deadline, but since they don’t plan to tender him a qualifying offer, they realize they may have no choice but to move him with at least five contenders showing interest," USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Sunday.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals on Sunday. St. Louis (51-49) sits in fourth place in the National League Central, 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs.

"The Arizona Diamondbacks sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, moving back to .500, while the Cardinals now moving a step closer to sell mode," Nightengale added. "The St. Louis Cardinals have now lost 11 of their last 15 games and now 3.5 games out of final wild card berth."

The 31-year-old Helsley is 3-1 this season with 19 saves and a 3.18 ERA. He's a two-time All-Star and led the majors last season with a career-best 49 saves. He finished ninth last year in National League Cy Young Award voting and sports a 2.69 ERA over seven MLB seasons.

Last month, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel said there was a 30% chance the Cardinals would trade Helsley. The duo listed the Yankees as one of the "best fits" for the right-hander.

The other teams on that list included the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers.

Helsley is making $8.2 million this season and will be a free agent after the World Series, according to Spotrac.

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