3 Cardinals whose trade value has risen, 2 who've seen it plummet to start the season

Ryan Helsley's trade value has dropped

Look, this could easily change in just a week or so, but as of right now, I think it is fair to say that Ryan Helsley's trade value has taken a substantial hit to start the year.

I do not believe it will stay that way, but for now, that's just the reality of the situation. Fresh off leading Major League Baseball in saves last season, Helsley has already blown two of his six save opportunities after just coughing up four of his 53 opportunities in 2024. Helsley has only pitched in 10 games so far due to the Cardinals' bullpen woes and not getting the ball to him in the ninth inning, and so I wouldn't be surprised if some of his rust has come from being used infrequently out of the bullpen.

There are concerning numbers that I do believe are worth monitoring for the time being. Obviously, his ERA is up to 3.60 as compared to 2.04 in 2024, 2.45 in 2023, and 1.25 in 2022. Helsley's xERA, FIP, and xFIP are all well over 4.00 to start the year, and has things currently stand, he is actually a negative fWAR player at -0.1.

Even more concerning than that to me right now is some of the under-the-hood issues we have seen so far. After his slider graded out as one of the best in baseball last year, it has only been a slightly above-average pitch so far in 2025. His fastball velocity is still there, but it has been a below-average and very hittable pitch through 10 appearances. Helsley saw a drop in his K% last year from the mid-to-high 30s in 2022 and 2023 to 29.7% in 2024, and now that is all the way down to 22.7% so far in 2025. Helsley's walk rate has jumped by almost 10% from 8.6% in 2024 to 18.2% in 2025. His home run to fly ball rate has jumped from 4.5% to 12.5% as well.

Yes, small sample sizes, I totally understand that. I would bank on Helsley figuring things out. But it's also fair to say that some of the nature of being a reliever is smaller sample sizes anyway. The Cardinals holding onto Helsley this year was risky for a number of reasons, and while I was far more concerned about a potential injury occuring, so far the real issue has been his actual on-field performance.

Helsley would be a massive trade piece for the Cardinals at the 2025 trade deadline if he can get back to pitching like himself here soon. Relievers always seem to fetch more at the deadline than any other time of year, and when Helsley is right, he is one of the best closers in all of baseball. It would be a huge gut punch for the Cardinals if this regression continues throughout the season, so hopefully his April struggles are just a blip on the radar compared to how he performs the rest of the season.