While Cardinals fans sit on the edge of their seats to see if Nolan Arenado is traded, I thought it might be fun to revisit another trade candidate. That of course, is Ryan Helsley.
The Cardinals seem convinced that they should hold on to him and it appears that they will until at least the trade deadline. I said last week in my piece about the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays being interested in him that it might make sense to do that at this point. But if you know anything about me, you know that my opinions can change frequently.
So, instead of taking one side or the other, let’s examine both sides of the issue and discuss whether it makes sense to trade him now or wait until the deadline. Let’s jump in!
The Cardinals should trade Ryan Helsley
Why trade Ryan Helsley when it would mean less wins for the Cardinals in 2025? Well, they originally said that they were looking to take a step back and set winning aside this year. No matter how John Mozeliak tries to spin it, it’s obvious that contending isn’t their goal this year.
For once, that isn’t such a bad thing. They rarely go out and sign big-name players anyway, and no evidence suggests that they’ll do that this offseason. Meanwhile, the farm system is quite depleted and not only needs upgrades in technology and instructors, but players as well.
The best way to get solid players in exchange that are MLB ready is to trade Helsley. You’re not going to get much of that if all you do is trade Arenado. Helsley’s value is higher than it’s ever been. By holding on to him, you risk him getting hurt or struggling in 2025, and as such losing value.
The Cardinals should keep Ryan Helsley
Now let’s look at the other side, which I touched on a bit last week. There is actually a decent argument that can be made for keeping Helsley around.
While the Cardinals are not expected to contend this year, the least they can do while upgrading their farm system is to try and avoid another season like 2023, when they lost 91 games and finished in last place. They’ll probably finish under .500 anyway this year, but nobody wants a repeat of what we saw two years ago.
And while Helsley’s value is high right now, there are reasons to be concerned about a return package. The Brewers didn’t exactly get much in exchange for Devin Williams, and we all saw at the deadline last year that teams are more than willing to grossly overpay for rental relievers. The Padres had no problem doing that with Tanner Scott.
Even if Helsley struggles in 2025, while that would hurt his value some, you can still get a good return. Recall that the Astros had to give up three top prospects for Yusei Kikuchi, a rental starter with a 4.75 ERA at the time of the trade. For that reason, it might be worth waiting until the end of July to flip the reigning NL Reliever of the Year.