Ranking the Cardinals' 6 most valuable trade assets they can sell at the deadline

2. Ryan Helsley

I personally don't see why Ryan Helsley would be this valuable still, but national media continues to believe that he could net the Cardinals' real assets if he were dealt at this trade deadline, and so I'm going to play into their narrative with this for now, even though I myself am not convinced that is true.

At worst, Helsley is still a valuable reliever teams would want, but the production this year has not matched up with the name value or track record. Even so, I'm guessing there are teams out there that believe if they can get their hands on Helsley, they can get him back to himself. And if that's true, then yes, he's definitely a super valuable trade chip at this deadline.

In 33 games, Helsley has posted a 3.27 ERA, sporting his lowest K% since 2022 and allowing a career-high batting average to opposing hitters of .254. His 1.42 WHIP is the highest of his career since 2021, and the underlying metrics aren't pretty, either.

Despite pumping a 99th percentile fastball velocity in 2025, Helsley's fastball run value is worth -6 this year, ranking in the 13th percentile. It's a super hittable pitch right now, as opposing hitters have a .419 batting average against it and .548 SLG. Yup, you read that right!

His slider has actually rebounded after being a bit shaky to start the year. While he doesn't always locate it how he wants to, it has been nasty, allowing just a .083 batting average and .150 slugging percentage this year, and both are career bests. If there is a team out there that believes they can fix Helsley's fastball, he's going to be a money closer again.

Even with the struggles this year, Helsley is still one of the best pitchers in baseball at getting opposing hitters to chase and does not allow many barrels. That has allowed him to dance out of danger more often than not, and that can help him get by, even when his stuff is failing him.

I'm a huge fan of Helsley's game and would love to see him be a force on the mound again soon. I highly doubt the Cardinals are the team to give him a long-term contract this summer, so capitalizing on his trade value now makes all of the sense in the world.