The Cardinals pitching is one of the key stories of the offseason. The franchise has made it clear that it is putting the future first while giving young players plenty of playing time in 2025. They backed away from the initial discussion about full layoffs, at least in part because several veterans with no-trade clauses preferred to do so. see things come true in St.
Even if they aren’t in a complete rebuild, the Cardinals should balance interest in players with limited windows of contract control. That’s especially true in the bullpen. Their star closer will receive many calls from other teams, but St. Salaries calculated courtesy of MLBTR’s Matt Swartz.
- Ryan Helsley (arbitration eligible in 2025, projected salary $6.9MM)
Cards less than one year of Helsley control. If they aren’t perfect by 2025, they must move this winter or by next summer’s deadline. An offseason deal would give the receiving team a few more months of Helsley’s services and allow them to consider a suitable offer when he hits free agency.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo wrote last week that the Cardinals are already getting a little interest. Derrick Goold of St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested that the Cards may need to be “frustrated” to deal with the right, but should be able to weigh more compelling offers.
Helsley is among the few best shortstops in MLB. He’s coming off three consecutive good seasons. Helsley posted a 1.25 earned run average in 64 2/3 innings in 2022. An arm strain wiped out several months of his ’23 campaign, but he posted a 2.45 ERA in 36 2/3 innings when he was able to take the mound. . Helsley’s arm has had a completely healthy season this year. He pitched a career-best 66 1/3 innings with a 2.04 ERA over 65 appearances.
After starting his career in a setup role, Helsley proved to be an elite closer this past season. He led the majors with 49 saves while allowing just four runs. He topped the National League with 62 games completed. Helsley struck out nearly 30% of opposing hitters against a tolerable 8.6% walk rate. Going back to the start of the ’22 season, he owns a 1.83 ERA with a whopping 34.6% strikeout percentage through 167 2/3 innings.
Helsley has the kind of powerful arsenal teams want in the late innings. His four-seam fastball sits over 99 MPH. Opponents have had a surprising amount of success with that heater this year, but the ability to bounce back for triple-digit heaters makes it difficult for hitters to adjust to his strikeout slider. Opponents have scored more than half the goals against Helsley’s slide in 2024. He got strikeouts at a 17.3% overall clip, a 15th-highest mark among relievers with at least 20 innings.
On the side Devin WilliamsHelsley is one of the top two bull trades this winter. He can match any competitor. Teams that are already close can push him to the eighth inning. Clubs like the Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox have seen their closers hit free agency. The Blue Jays, Yankees, Orioles, Royals and Diamondbacks are other potential pitchers.
- Jojo Romero (arbitration eligible 2026, projected salary $1.9MM)
Romero had a great two-year reunion at Busch Stadium. Acquired from the Phillies at the 2022 trade deadline Edmund SosaRomero came on for captain Oli Marmol at left-back. He’s posted back-to-back seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA, which translates to a career-best 3.36 in 59 innings this year.
There is some concern. After striking out 28.6% of the batters he faced in 2023, he posted an average strikeout rate of 21% this year. Romero had a very difficult time missing bats in the area in 2024. That’s a problem for a pitcher who has never been successful in getting hitters to drive away from the plate. Romero has some interesting stuff, including a 94 MPH sinker with a slider and changeup. The breaking ball is his best offering and has served as a grounder in 40 of his 51 games this year.
As one would expect given that profile, Romero has been much better against similar-handed hitters. Lefties have a .172/.267/.270 slash against him in his career, while righties have hit at a .280/.337/.472 clip. The division of his 2024 platoon went the same way. Romero may be better suited for a situational role, but perhaps the other team feels it has something to do to get better production against righty hitters. While Romero has increased the use of his slider every season since 2021, he is still using it about a third of the time this year.
Romero finished the year on the disabled list with arm inflammation. The Cardinals announced that he is not expected to require surgery and should have a regular season. If we think so, it should attract interest.
John King (arbitration eligible 2027, projected salary $1.5MM)
The 30-year-old King isn’t as well known as Helsley or Romero, but he’s coming off a great season. The southpaw turned in a 2.85 ERA through a career-high 60 innings that included 56 appearances. King is a pure ground ball specialist. He has kept the ball down a whopping 61.7% this year and has a career rate just north of 62%. Of the 160 players who threw at least 50 innings, only three (Tim Hill, Clay Holmes again Yennier Cano) had a high percentage of low.
King doesn’t miss at-bats, but he is a left fielder who should appeal to teams looking to deepen their middle relief corps. (The Yankees make a reasonable fit considering New York’s penchant for cheap relievers.) King is cheaply manageable for three more seasons and has held left-handed hitters to .250/.300/.320 over 308 career plate appearances. Although the Cardinals are under no contract pressure to deal him, this is not the type of player St. If the Cards can pull off a mid-level prospect or two, King could be gone.
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The Cards have two other bullpen arms that could draw interest, though they are unlikely to move. Rule 5 choose Ryan Fernandez had a strong rookie season. With another five years of team control, St. Louis probably prefers to hold him in a balancing role. The former’s high hopes Matthew Liberatore he seems to have found a comfortable home. He has been able to manage for five seasons. The Cardinals are unlikely to receive an offer that will push them to move the 25-year-old early in his career.
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