This coming season, the St. Louis Cardinals will be going through a big transition. Chaim Bloom will officially be in charge of baseball operations in 2026 and former MVP Paul Goldschmidt is now gone. Veteran players like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz could be traded away as well. The Cardinals are about to go through an “organizational reset” where the team will be leaning more on their young prospects. This means that development will be more emphasized than wins at the MLB level in 2025. With the team embracing a youth movement, there is no reason that star closer Ryan Helsley shouldn’t be traded right now.
A Team In Transition
Embed from Getty ImagesChange is already in the air at 700 Clark Street in St. Louis. Longtime Baseball Operations Head John Mozeliak will step down after this season with Chaim Bloom officially taking over in 2026. Longtime star and former MVP Paul Goldschmidt will wear a different uniform next season. The team will devote more resources to player development than the Major League payroll. St. Louis will lean more on their young prospects in 2025 to find their new core. This will mean development will be emphasized more than wins at the big-league level next season. With the Cardinals needing more prospects, it also could mean that other veterans like Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Steven Matz, and Miles Mikolas could be traded away. A big trade chip that the team possesses is star closer Ryan Helsley.
The Cardinals Will Have No Problems Finding Suitors
Ryan Helsley is one of the best closers in the league today. He’s been to two all-star games and had a career year last season. Last season, his 49 saves were not only a Cardinals franchise record but also led the National League. The 30-year-old star closer recently earned the NL Reliever of the Year award. He has a career strikeout rate of 29.6% which is above the league average of 22.8%. Teams froth at the mouth for that kind of relief pitcher. Given the state of the franchise, the star closer is now a luxury that the Cardinals no longer need. If St. Louis puts him on the trade block, they’ll have no shortage of suitors. Teams like the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox could be in the market for a closer.
The Team Needs More Young Prospects
The Cardinals farm system is currently ranked 19th in baseball with three players ranked inside MLB’s top 100 prospect list. Prospects JJ Wetherholt, Tink Hence, and Quinn Matthews are currently ranked 19th, 51st, and 86th respectively. While it is a good start to their minor-league pipeline, it isn’t enough to make the Cardinals a contender again. If St. Louis trades Ryan Helsley now, they could get back a bevy of prospects in return. Hesley is also a free agent after the 2025 season, this makes it even more crucial that the Cardinals trade him right now. St. Louis will get a lot more in return by dealing him away now than at the trade deadline. By continuing to have Ryan Helsley on the roster, all the Cardinals are doing is hurting their potential return.
The Cardinals Shouldn’t Wait Any Longer
Embed from Getty ImagesThe St. Louis Cardinals have indicated they are heading in a new direction as they embrace a youth movement. There will be new leadership inside baseball operations and familiar veteran players might be playing elsewhere. Development will be emphasized more than wins next year. With the franchise in a transition period and looking to get younger, this makes Ryan Helsley expendable. They’ll have no problems finding suitors if they put him on the trading block now. Given that Helsley will be a free agent and the prospect capital the team can potentially command; the Cardinals should trade him right away. There is no reason to continue to have him on the roster heading into the 2025 season.
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