The Cardinals made a mistake not trading Ryan Helsley this offseason

We're now just three weeks away from Opening Day. The Cardinals' offseason was a complete and utter failure on so many levels. They advertised a "reset," and many assumed that meant they would be trading certain players and clearing spots for younger players. But nothing was accomplished, and the Cardinals have largely the same team from last year when they went 83-79.

In typical fashion, John Mozeliak sent mixed messages. One minute, he said they were taking a step back from contention, and the next, he said they were trying to contend.

But entering the offseason, the Cardinals had an asset that had they capitalized on his value on traded him, would have brought back a massive haul of prospects. This, of course, is reigning NL Reliever of the Year Ryan Helsley, who set a franchise record with 49 saves last year.

The Cardinals made a mistake not trading Ryan Helsley

With Helsley entering the final year of his contract, a trade seemed likely, but Mozeliak backtracked and held onto him. In doing so, he made a major mistake.

Katie Woo correctly pointed out that holding onto Helsley presents some major risks. He could get hurt or regress. That would hurt his value significantly. Plus, the Cardinals likely won't re-sign him after this year due to his stock likely rising, and as I've said before, I would hate to see the Cardinals waste a chance to capitalize on his value, only to lose him for nothing more than a compensation draft pick.

I don't blame Mozeliak for not being able to trade Nolan Arenado. He was given a very limited list of teams to work with, so that isn't his fault. What is his fault, however, is not pivoting to trading other assets such as Helsley, and even right-hander Erick Fedde.

It would be one thing if the Cardinals were getting lowballed by teams making offers for Helsley. In that case, you can't trade him unless you're getting the best possible return. And to be fair, the Brewers didn't get much back for Devin Williams.

But based on what Woo said, it seems to me that the Cardinals outright refused to trade him because they can't fully commit to a rebuild. Yet they also can't fully commit to contending because they didn't add anybody.

Holding onto him further cemented the Cardinals in the dreaded middle. At this point, that's the worst spot they can be. Don't get me wrong. I love Helsley. He's a winner, and he does make this team better, but even with him on the roster, this team can't compete with the likes of the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves and Yankees. Even signing Juan Soto wouldn't have changed that.

I do still expect the Cardinals to eventually trade Helsley. They'll likely be sellers at the trade deadline, and that's still a good opportunity to get a good haul for him. Teams overpay for pitching at the deadline all the time, even rental arms. We saw this on full display at last year's deadline.

But Helsley had a much better season than Williams and managed to avoid the injured list, so trading him in the offseason would have been smart, as his value was at its highest. Heck, there's even still time to trade him now if the Cardinals are so inclined.

Once somebody is traded, I'll believe there's a reset happening. But until then, it appears that the Cardinals have no plan and are stuck in no-man's land. The cons of holding onto Helsley, as good as he is, far outweigh the pros in my opinion.

If the Cardinals are going to lose him next offseason anyway, why not capitalize on his value while they still can? This was supposed to be a transition year. It would have been wise to stick to the original plan this offseason.

Now, there's a risk of something going terribly wrong with Helsley in 2025. If he regresses or can't stay healthy, then the Cardinals will have blown their opportunity to cash in on their best asset.

The goal should not be contending in 2025, but rather building for the future.