Cardinals finally say goodbye (for now) to fan favorite in trade deadline blockbuster

It’s official. The St. Louis Cardinals have finally parted ways with their most coveted trade chip this summer after holding onto him for many seasons. Helsley will now be on his way to New York to pitch for the Mets in a trade deadline blockbuster!

In return for Helsley, the Cardinals are acquiring SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, and RHP Frank Elissalt. Baez is the 8th-ranked prospect in the Mets' system, and Dohm is the 14th-ranked, according to MLB Pipeline.

The Cardinals traded their star closer Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets in a blockbuster trade deadline deal

Although fans will be sad to see Helsley and his production depart, the Cardinals did very well to offload Helsley at the time they did. Especially considering the news of Emmanuel Clase’s investigation, in addition to a market starving for quality relief pitching. These factors drove up the price for Helsley, as contenders fought against each other in a bidding war for the Redbirds' star closer. Had the team traded him during the offseason, like many suggested, who knows whether or not the Cardinals would have been able to receive such a great return? Thus far in 2025, Helsley has posted 21 saves, a 3.00 ERA, and 10.3 SO/9.

Despite losing Helsley for the end of the season, Cardinals fans can be cautiously optimistic about a reunion. When questioning Helsley about returning to St. Louis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Helsley would be open to resigning with the Cardinals even if he were to be traded at the deadline.

This would be a dream scenario for the Redbirds as they could grow their farm system with prospects while also being able to bring him back soon after. With that being said, I’m sure he would like to see some initiative taken by the front office before resigning. Helsley was blunt about this in his interview, saying: “It’s not a secret that we’ve got to get starting pitching”. Assuming that the Cardinals can answer the call next offseason, there’s a chance that the Cardinals will be able to have their cake and eat it, too, heading into the 2026 season.