The Cardinals should take a page out of the Brewers book this coming offseason

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Cardinals got what they needed. They added a veteran starter and a right-handed bat in one trade, bringing in Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham, while also adding reliever Shawn Armstrong in a trade with the Rays for Dylan Carlson.

I had thought that Ryan Helsley would be traded this year, especially when the returns teams were getting for mere rental relievers were astronomical. Fortunately, though, the Cardinals have set their sights on the postseason and have chosen to keep Helsley around.

Make no mistake, this team is far better with Helsley on it and they made the right call by holding onto him at the deadline. But when the season is over and it's time to shift their focus to the offseason, the Cardinals should consider trading the All-Star closer, not unlike the Brewers, who traded Corbin Burnes this past winter ahead of his walk year.

Cardinals should follow Brewers footsteps with Ryan Helsley trade

Obviously, the Brewers knew they weren't going to be able to keep Burnes beyond this season. So, they capitalized on his value and sent him to the Orioles for some solid young players. As such, everybody began to doubt the Brewers and believed that they wouldn't be able to defend their NL Central crown.

While there's still a lot of time left in the season for the Brewers to struggle and lose grip on first place, they maintained it, even after trading away Burnes. With Helsley having just one year of control after this season, the Cardinals should do the same.

Had they traded Helsley at the deadline, they would've received a massive return of Major League-ready prospects. Obviously, it didn't make sense to do it now with the Cardinals in the thick of the race. But in the offseason, it will make perfect sense.

In no way am I suggesting the Cardinals should enter a rebuild. That won't go over well with the fanbase. But the Brewers have traded away both Burnes and Josh Hader in recent years, yet despite the Cardinals having more financial resources than them and not engaging in such practices, Milwaukee remains the NL Central's best team, at least for now.

Assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff down the stretch, Helsley will still fetch quite the return. Keep in mind that in the pipeline, there aren't a lot of MLB-ready options on the pitching side. We don't know when Quinn Matthews and Tink Hence will be ready. The Cardinals will also have at least two holes to fill in the rotation if both Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson's club options are declined, and Steven Matz cannot be counted on due to his extensive injury history.

Helsley can get the Cardinals some extra rotation options and replenish the minor league system with strong pitching options, while also leaving some room financially to pursue a starter and another bat from outside the organization in free agency. It's something that needs to at least be considered. If it worked for the Brewers, then it's time to take a page out of their book.