6 realistic starting pitchers who could be home run signings for the Cardinals

Ryan Helsley

I've always thought Ryan Helsley deserved the chance to start in St. Louis, but it never came to be. After a failed stint with the New York Mets in the second half, Helsley is now a free agent and looking for a new home, and is drawing interest from other clubs as a starting pitcher.

If Helsley is going to try starting, going back to somewhere he is familiar with would likely help that process. Instead of having to learn a new coaching staff and living situation, Helsley can get back to work with Dusty Blake and the Cardinals' new player development group.

Plenty of relievers have made the transition to starting after years of relieving and found great success, like Garrett Crochet, Seth Lugo, Michael King, Cristopher Sanchez, Reynaldo Lopez, and more. While the old regime seemed to pigeonhole pitchers like Helsley into bullpen roles, the Cardinals drafted a high-velocity reliever in Tanner Franklin in hopes that he could start long-term in this past draft, and so they are clearly more open to helping pitchers with great stuff find a way to succeed as starters, even if they've been relievers leading up to that.

Helsley, in my opinion, would offer the Cardinals one of their highest upside options for their rotation at an affordable rate. I can't imagine he would get more than $15 million per season on just a one or two-year deal, but I'd guess it is a bit less than that. If he fails as a starter, the Cardinals can always have him relieve again, but if he succeeds, he has the kind of stuff to be a front-line starter or high-impact middle of the rotation arm. He can fill that leadership void they may have post-Gray trade and do so with great stuff, and he's been very open about his love for the Cardinals organization.

Yes, there is risk involved. Helsley needs to figure out his pitch tipping issue and will need to sort out what pitches he wants to integrate more into his arsenal alongside his fastball and slider. Those are not simple things, but are we really going to throw out the years of success that Helsley had with St. Louis because of a terrible second half in New York?

I'd love for the Cardinals to bring in Helsley as a starter this offseason. Will it work? I'm not sure. But I have a lot of optimism that he will, and it could be a huge asset to their rebuild if they can pull that kind of value out of him.