The St. Louis Cardinals are finally poised to begin the rebuild they were expected to initiate a few seasons ago. They may look to trade several veterans, including Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Cardinals are set to approach this rebuild aggressively. Bowden predicts that St. Louis will trade Helsley, their standout closer, to the Philadelphia Phillies in a major deal this winter. Helsley is projected to secure a six-year, $82 million contract when he hits free agency after the 2025 season, according to Spotrac.
“The Cardinals are focused on rebuilding, while the Phillies are in need of a powerful, impactful reliever. The Phillies lost two key high-leverage relievers in free agency—Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez—and have made bolstering that area a priority this offseason,” Bowden wrote.
Helsley, who won the Trevor Hoffman Award this year as the National League’s top closer/reliever, posted a 2.04 ERA with 49 saves and 79 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings.
Bowden suggested a potential trade scenario in which the Cardinals could send Helsley and Arenado to the Phillies in exchange for third baseman Alec Bohm and additional prospects.
This deal would give the Phillies the closer and a replacement for Bohm, while the Cardinals would acquire a young All-Star at third base and shed Arenado’s large contract. Although no such trade has been rumored, it represents a plausible framework that could work for both teams, given their respective needs.
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