Ryan Helsley open to helping Cardinals pull off a seller's dream scenario

With just about 48 hours to go until the trade deadline, Ryan Helsley is still a St. Louis Cardinal.

He fully expects himself to be moved before Thursday's deadline. In fact, he was ready to be traded this past offseason as well. Instead, John Mozeliak and the club held onto him in hopes of being competitive in 2025.

The Cardinals have certainly surprised many fans and pundits with their record being above .500 for most of the year. They're on the fringes of the playoff picture, but an 84-win pace is greater than most of the optimistic projections for the team this year.

Ryan Helsley is partially responsible for that success. He has a 3-1 record with a 3.00 ERA. He's struck out 41 batters in 36 innings to go along with 21 saves. He's taken a step back from his stellar 2024 season, where he set a single-season franchise record with 49 saves, but he's still one of the game's best closers.

Helsley figures to be a hot commodity at this year's trade deadline. With the Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase off the market due to a gambling investigation and the Minnesota Twins wavering when it comes to trading reliever Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, Helsley is probably the best reliever on the market.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, at least six teams have expressed interest in Helsley. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays have all reached out to the Cardinals with interest in the right-handed closer. Several other postseason hopefuls could use Ryan Helsley as well, including the Seattle Mariners.

Ryan Helsley himself believes that he's as good as gone. When speaking with media members last week, Helsley said that he's "90 percent" certain that he'll be traded. For a player who was interested in an extension this past offseason and who has been outspoken about his love for the Cardinals, it must be depleting to know that his time in St. Louis is nearing a close.

However, Helsley's departure at the trade deadline could be nothing more than a brief hiatus.

Ryan Helsley is willing to be traded to build up the farm system only to come back to the Cardinals via free agency this winter.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ryan Helsley was quite open about wanting to come back to St. Louis for the future. The longest-tenured player on the team said that he sees value in acquiring prospects to build up a farm system that has been depleted with injuries to pitchers this year.

"It's not a secret that we've got to get starting pitching," said Helsley. "Our minor-league system has been crushed by injuries. Obviously that makes even more sense to trade (relievers) now to get some prospects."

Having been with the organization since 2015, Helsley has seen the best of days and the worst of days. He's also grown quite familiar with the players, coaches, and executives who are with the team. His familiarity with the organization has only strengthened his resolve to stay with the club.

"I would be, for sure, open to (signing) back," said Helsley.

With Helsley's desire to come back to St. Louis if he were traded, the Cardinals could take a page out of the New York Yankees' textbook from 2016. That year, they traded away a veteran reliever in Aroldis Chapman for prospects Adam Warren, Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford. Gleyber Torres has been a regular second baseman for several teams since his debut, and he was the club's No. 2 prospect after the trade.

The Yankees then went and signed Chapman to a five-year, $86 million deal two months later.

The Cardinals could receive a similar package of prospects for Ryan Helsley. They could then sign the right-handed reliever to a multi-year deal this offseason without having to worry about a qualifying offer. I proposed this method nearly a year ago to help expedite the Cardinals' rebuild.

This process would net the Cardinals several prospects along with a bona fide closer in the offseason. Given Helsley's favoritism towards the Cardinals, one could assume that he would at least entertain a team-friendly deal in the winter.