Jettisoned star reliever sees chance for Cardinals comeback

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be one of the busiest teams this offseason, both in terms of free agency and in the trade market. Rival teams have been hot on Brendan Donovan, as well as other controllable bats like Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Nolan Gorman, each of whom have been rumors of trade speculations for the last year.

Outside of the lefty bats, pitching has been a conversation for the organization and a discussion for what the future staff looks like. Sonny Gray is a potential trade candidate and the rest of the pitching staff is full of question marks, especially after the Cardinals dealt their veteran relievers at last year's deadline. One way that they could answer at least one bullpen question, though, is to reunite with one of those arms traded away in order to replenish the farm system. Appearing on a recent episode of Cardinal Territory, reliever Ryan Helsley said he expects the Cardinals to reach out regarding a potential deal.

Former closer Ryan Helsley anticipates the Cardinals reaching out about a reunion

As the St. Louis season spiraled into another year of missing the postseason, the writing was on the wall for the team's expiring contracts and fan favorite Ryan Helsley was not surprised by his trade to the New York Mets. At the time of the deal, he even explained that he understood the necessity of the trade, meaning there were no hard feelings and he would welcome the opportunity to return to the Cardinals in the offseason. That seemed like a formality, though, as Helsley was expected to pitch himself into a lucrative contract as a lockdown closer, but things went south for the righty when he arrived in the Big Apple.

With the Mets, Helsley appeared in 20 games and put up a miserable 7.20 ERA, thanks to an 11.6% walk rate and 1.80 HR/9. He was already having a down season at the time of the deal, but he was supposed to be the missing piece to a Mets bullpen preparing for the postseason. Helsley went 0-3 with four blown saves during his short time in New York, putting him back on the open market as a massive question mark when it comes to relief options. For one, he has an established track record strictly as a closer, notching 105 saves in his career, but he was awful in low and mid-leverage situations, giving up 15 runs in 35.2 of those innings as defined by FanGraphs and walked another 15 batters while allowing six homers. He will also just be 31-years-old next season as has been relatively healthy when he has had his workload managed. While on Cardinal Territory with Jim Hayes and Kyle Gibson, Helsley mentioned that Chaim Bloom had discussions with him after he was dealt and the reliever expects some level of interest to be shown in him by the Cardinals new POBO.

Helsley received $8.2 million in salary last season, his final time through arbitration. Spotrac now projects him as a $13 million arm on the free agent market while MLB Trade Rumors predicted him to receive a two-year, $24 million contract this offseason. Both price tags are extremely doable for the Cardinals, especially as they expect to offload some money and rebuild their bullpen. If Helsley were to come back to St. Louis, both parties could treat the season similar to last year where he could pitch his way onto a contending team if the Cardinals are once again out of the playoff race. If they decide for a longer contract, he could be a stabilizing backend option as the team sorts through their young pitching staff and attempt to find the best role for their prospects.

During trade rumors, Helsley made it clear he understood the business behind the Cardinals seeking out a deal. Right after he made that comment, I thought that opened the door for a potential reunion, even after Helsley and the Cardinals battled in arbitration last season. I believe the closer could and should come back to St. Louis.