Philadelphia Phillies
The final trade proposal would have Helsley heading the 2024 National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies. After a hot start to the season, the Phillies bullpen ran into some trouble down the stretch and could use an elite closer like Helsley to slam the door shut at the end of games. While the likelihood of getting one of their top four prospects is likely off the table, their farm system has some very intriguing players that fit what the Cardinals need.
The first piece to acquire Helsley would be 19-year-old outfielder Griffin Burkholder, a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft Burkholder the speed and defensive ability to be a centerfielder in the MLB. With the ability to drive the ball, the right-handed bat is still tapping into his power which could end up seeing him be a 20-plus home run hitter to go with his elite speed. If he can continue to drive the baseball into the gaps he will be an extra-base hit machine that has the ability to steal a base at any moment. Still years away from the majors, Burkholder is super athletic and his strength should continue to grow as he gets older.
Joining Burkholder in the trade would be third baseman Carson DeMartini, another 2024 draft pick the 21-year-old has extra-base hit power all over the field and has all the makings of a 20-25 home run hitter. A shortstop in high school, he transitioned to third base at Virginia Tech where he still has room to improve as a defender but his main tool remains his power ability at the plate. DeMartini could end up being a pure DH at the major league level, but if he continues to hit that wouldn't be a problem. After getting drafted he slashed .315/.385/.478 with nine extra-base hits and eight stolen bases in
24 games at the Single-A level. He has the ability at the plate to rise through the system and could be an impact bat in the majors sooner rather than later.
LHP Mavis Graves would be the final piece of the trade, at 20-years-old he already has two minor league seasons under his belt. After a disastrous showing at rookie ball in 2023, he followed that up with a much better season this year at Single-A. The young lefty posted a 7-6 record with a 3.64 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched. Standing at 6-foot-6, Graves has a five-pitch arsenal including a four and two-seam fastball, curveball, changeup and his best pitch of the bunch a hard cutter that has high spin rates. Still young, he showed much improvement in his second year and has the potential to take a big leap in 2025 as he continues to develop into his big frame. His ceiling might not be the highest, but he has the potential to be a serviceable arm at the back of the rotation or a future set-up man at the major league level.