If the Cardinals want to keep Ryan Helsley, they should make him a starting pitcher

The latest reports out of the St. Louis Cardinals' camp is that they are leaning toward holding on to Ryan Helsley, a two-time All-Star and the National League's best reliever in 2024.

Helsley, 30, is the longest-tenured Cardinal on the roster. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, and he's been with the organization ever since. Hels made his debut on April 16th against the Milwaukee Brewers. He threw 2.1 innings and struck out four batsmen. Since then, the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher has attended two All-Star games, received Cy Young votes in 2022 and 2024, led the league in saves in 2024, and set the franchise's single-season save record.

Light work for Ryan Helsley indeed.

If the Cardinals truly intend on holding on to their largest trade chip this offseason, they should seriously consider extending him. With the rising cost of pitchers via free agency, the Cardinals would be wise to have discussions with Helsley to extend him beyond 2025. If they don't they run the risk of losing Helsley and getting nothing in return -- barring a qualifying offer next year -- and having to watch him walk away.

If the Cardinals do extend Ryan Helsley beyond next year, they should seriously consider converting him to a starting pitching role. Yes, he was the league's best closer in 2024, and yes, there's tremendous value in having a guy who eliminates nearly all concerns late in close games. However, there's even greater value in having a guy who can potentially throw 150 innings in a year with as dominant stuff as Helsley has.

Ryan Helsley entered the Cardinals' system as a starting pitcher. He made 17 starts in 2016 in low-A, 23 starts in 2017 across three levels, 13 starts in 2018, and seven starts in 2019. However, he was promoted in 2019 to the major-league squad. At that point, he was cemented as a relief pitcher.

Below you'll find a chart detailing key stats for Helsley as a starting pitcher in the minors.

2016 and 2018 were both strong seasons for Helsley as a starter, particularly when it comes to strikeouts. However, in Helsley's greatest volume season in 2017, his ERA exceeded 3.00 in only two months, as he had a 4.35 ERA in April across four starts and a 3.18 ERA in only one start in September.

Even though it's been a half-decade since his last start, Helsley has a strong track record as a starting pitcher in the minors. A starting pitcher with a 3.50-4.00 ERA is significantly more valuable than a reliever with that number. Also, paying a reliever greater than $10 million annually, the market price for All-Star relievers right now, is costly. Paying a starting pitcher around $15 million for similar production is almost a bargain.

If Helsley converts to a starting pitcher, something players like Jordan Hicks, Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez, and now Clay Holmes have done, some changes to his arsenal must be made. Currently, he is a two-pitch pitcher featuring a fastball and a slider. According to Baseball Savant, Helsley's slider had a +13 run value, and his fastball had a +4 run value. He used his fastball 45.4% of the time, and he threw his slider 48.3% of the time in 2024.

If Ryan Helsley intends on becoming a starting pitcher, he must add a viable third pitch. At the moment, the only other pitch he throws is a curveball. He used it only 6.2% of the time last year; however, it had a whiff rate of 47.1%, and hitters had a .183 wOBA against it. That's a fantastic third pitch should Helsley choose to employ it more often. In 2022, he used his curveball 10.5% of the time. It had a 41.2% whiff rate, and hitters had a .000 wOBA against it. He struck out seven of the fifteen batters he used his curveball on.

Helsley has also used a changeup and a sinker in his career, albeit sparingly, particularly the sinker having only thrown 14 total sinkers in 2021. The changeup could be a decent fourth offering if he finds it necessary.

There is inherent risk in converting Ryan Helsley to a starting pitcher role. The Cardinals lose their lock-down closer, and the injury risk could potentially increase in expecting Helsley to go five innings every five days. Additionally, starting pitchers cost more. If both Ryan Helsley and the team are in agreement that he would become a starter should they reach an extension agreement, his price will likely go up.

The tale of relief pitchers becoming starting pitchers and seeing success is a bit of a new one. Jordan Hicks, Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez, and now Clay Holmes have all been wonderful test subjects in just the last year. Ryan Helsley could join this list of accomplished relievers-turned-starters.

2025 is a reset year. It's the perfect year to try out some funky ideas for the Cardinals. Making Ryan Helsley a starting pitcher, especially if the team doesn't trade him and extends him, would be a great idea for the Cardinals. He has tremendous potential as a starting pitcher.