The trade market for Ryan Helsley is disappointing the St. Louis Cardinals

It is without a single doubt that the most coveted player on the St. Louis Cardinals is their star closer Ryan Helsley.

The two-time All-Star finished 2024 at the peak of his ability. Helsley broke the Cardinals' single-season saves record with 49, surpassing Trevor Rosenthal's mark of 48 saves from the 2015 season. 49 saves also led the National League, which presented Helsley with the Trevor Hoffman National League Relief Pitcher of the Year award, and is now a member of the All-MLB Team. Helsley, at age 30, has reached the pinnacle of his career. With relievers having short careers and teams relying on their max-level performances, Helsley is at the very top of his position currently.

The Cardinals are looking to trade off their veteran players if they agree to waive their no-trade clauses. The team wants to shed bigger contracts while also freeing up roster space to let the younger guys in the depth chart play every day. Helsley is not tied to a no-trade clause, and his value as one of the best closers in the game will be sought after by many contending teams.

The market should be hot for a player of this caliber who can shut down any lineup to seal victories. He is also cost controlled making $8.1 million for the 2025 season before going into free agency. This sets up a rental scenario where the Cardinals can capitalize on his value to further shore up the depth with prospects. Fans will think of Aroldis Chapman to the Yankees for Gleyber Torres in 2016 and also Aroldis Chapman for Cole Ragans in 2023.

But with a recent report from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (subscription required), the Cardinals are now looking to keep Ryan Helsley for the 2025 season unless they are blown away by a trade offer. The surface level shows that the Cardinals are not willing to move Helsley in a desperate manner which is the right move. They are not in a position to sell off the entire roster in a full rebuild. Instead, they are choosing to be very selective in this process. But with the Winter Meetings approaching with this report now published, are the Cardinals seeing a cold market for Helsley?

Given the circumstances with Helsley being a top closer in the game on a cost-controlled contract, trade talks should be intensifying at this current moment. Any team looking to make serious noise this off-season would already be linked to Helsley. But to me, this says the Cardinals asking price is astronomical in comparison to where teams see his market value. The Cardinals are in no wrong for setting their asking price as high as possible, but now an appropriate trade market cannot be established for Helsley.

With the Winter Meetings approaching in the next couple of weeks, expect the St. Louis Cardinals to be very active. The roster reset is in full force and fans are about to experience a new era in St. Louis. While several players will be traded to other teams, many familiar faces will stick around during this unprecedented season in 2025. The one question mark for the Cardinals off-season is what will happen with Ryan Helsley. Will he lead to the biggest trade of the off-season? Or will he be kept until the trade deadline? Will the Cardinals extend him with a $100 million contract? The 2024 Winter Meetings should provide more clarity on the Ryan Helsley situation.