Jeff Passan matches Red Sox, Cardinals in trade deadline bullpen blockbuster

With the trade deadline approaching, St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak may be a bit more amenable to cutting ties with some of the Cardinals' bullpen options than he appeared at first glance. Cardinals fans were aghast when Mozeliak spoke with Katie Woo of The Athletic and appeared reluctant to part ways with his pitchers on expiring contracts at the deadline.

A recent article from STLToday's Derrick Goold, however, offhandedly mentioned that the Cardinals are open to trading several of their pitchers who are slated to enter free agency following the season. That list consists of Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz, and as the most prized asset of that trio, Helsley has generated some buzz in Cardinals circles about where he could land and what type of return he could fetch.

An MLB insider placed Helsley as the Boston Red Sox' ideal fit.

ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote an article mentioning ideal moves for every team in playoff contention, and he had Helsley heading to the Boston Red Sox, ostensibly to serve as a setup man to the top relief pitcher in the American League, Aroldis Chapman. Passan mentioned that besides Chapman, the Red Sox possess an average relief corps, and that may not be enough to compete for a title in an era with such bullpen-dependent postseasons.

The Cardinals and Red Sox were linked as potential trade partners prior to and during the season, with Boston named one of Nolan Arenado's possible destinations. That deal didn't come to pass, but Helsley could command a larger haul than Arenado would, and Chaim Bloom, who previously worked for the Red Sox, would surely love to have an opportunity to sift through a farm system that he helped curate.

The Red Sox own what is widely considered the best farm system in baseball, so the Cardinals could theoretically access plenty of promising talent. But if a trade were to be carried out, Boston would only have Helsley's services for the stretch run before either allowing him to hit free agency or signing him to a contract, so they likely won't be willing to sacrifice too much for a rental bullpen arm, especially when they already have a closer.

St. Louis could receive a better prospect package if they were to trade Helsley to the Philadelphia Phillies. Their bullpen is worse than Boston's, and if they don't target Emmanuel Clase, whom Passan has marked as Philadelphia's premier option, Helsley could fit into the back of their bullpen.

As Cardinals fans know, Helsley has not had the same success this season as he did in 2024. Given his performance in 2025, Helsley might not command the same return he would have if the Cardinals had dealt him prior to the season. On the other hand, teams are smart enough to know that relief pitchers are volatile and repeated years of dominance are rare.

The Cardinals likely won't receive any top prospects for Helsley, but he should necessitate a fair return from a team that is desperate to improve its ability to hold on to late-game leads, and if the Cardinals decide to unload Maton and/or Matz as well, the future of the Cardinals could become very interesting in a hurry.