The right hand Ryan Helsley spoke to reporters about his future with the Cardinals during the team’s Winter Warmup fan event this weekend. As reported by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Helsley revealed that he actually felt he would be traded this winter when the season started. The righty added that when his camp heard from baseball president John Mozeliak about six weeks after the season ended and was told the Cardinals planned to hold on to him this winter, he initially believed the call was a job offer.
Part of Helsley’s belief that he was offered a trade ticket this winter is based on the fact that there is “There is no mention of extensions” between his camp and the Cardinals, he said. As noted by Jones, Helsley made it clear that he would like to stay in St. “Two-way street” before adding that “if one side is wanted [an extension]it won’t be right.”
It’s not an answer that makes Helsley very optimistic about his prospects of staying in the city after his contract expires. Although the Cardinals appeared unlikely to part with Helsley on the trade market all winter even despite interest from rival clubs, keeping Helsley at the start of the regular season does not mean the club is interested in retaining the righty. -a hand in holding out for a long time or that they are against considering a trade for Helsley in the summer if the club is not in contention for the play-offs.
The main reason the club is holding on to Helsley to open the season is that the club hopes to maintain some level of competition in the weak NL Central division this year. Helsley was among the best closers in baseball last season as he posted a 2.04 ERA and 2.41 FIP in 66 1/3 innings of work while collecting an MLB-leading 49 saves. He struck out 29.7% of his opponents and continued to flash triple-digit velocity on his fastball. That’s the kind of dominant performance that would greatly increase the team’s chances of staying competitive, and the Cardinals don’t have any young relief arms ready to step into Helsley’s shoes the way they do with the club’s veterans in 2024. Paul Goldschmidt again Nolan Arenado.
Of course, another consideration is money. Helsley and the Cardinals settled for $8.2MM in salary to avoid arbitration this year. That $8.2MM, while not small, wouldn’t do much to help the club’s 2025 salary cap goal as it allows Goldschmidt (who signed a $12.5MM deal with the Yankees last month) to leave in free agency, with no word on how much. the most impactful trade or all of the $60MM the Cardinals still owe Arenado over the next three seasons. In fact, Helsley’s impact related to the Cardinals’ financial commitment to him arguably makes him one of the most important players on the team. Viewed through that lens, it is understandable that St. Louis plans to keep him in the fold for at least the first half of the season as they try to compete for a playoff spot.
Once Helsley is no longer under team control, that number will change dramatically. Edwin Diaz again Josh Hader they set a new standard for high-quality providers in free agency with landing deals that have both earned more than $90MM over a five-year period in net present value. Helsley’s record isn’t on the same level as Hader’s but even this year’s free agent, Tanner Scottthere are rumors that he is in line for an annual salary that could reach $20MM. If Scott, who had an outstanding breakout season but has a shorter track record than Helsley, can get that kind of deal in free agency this winter it’s hard to imagine the righties not getting a deal that at least comes close. to double his annual salary next season.
That’s not the kind of contract extension that would make sense for a Cardinals club struggling with payroll to offer, even before considering the uncertainty the team faces as it focuses on developing young players at the big league level. That makes it somewhat clear to the Cardinals not to pursue an extension with Helsley at this point. After all, playing the last year of his contract allows them to leave the trade door open during the season if the team is out of contention and it does not prevent them from playing him again after the season if they believe he is good. for their needs in 2026 and beyond. If the Cardinals exceed expectations and stay in contention for a playoff spot for the rest of the year, it will be much easier for them to produce the level of competition in 2026 needed to justify approaching Helsley’s average.
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