Helsley staying 'professional' as trade rumors continue to swirl

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Never, Ryan Helsley says in what has become a very uncertain offseason for him and his expanding family, did he think he would be the longest-tenured player drafted and developed by the Cardinals, the franchise he grew up rooting for and now has his name etched all over its record books.

Similarly, Helsley also never thought once about playing anywhere other than St. Louis. However, the franchise’s shift to a “reset” could see the reigning National League Reliever of the Year heading elsewhere via a blockbuster trade.

Such a move could come any day now, or it could drag into next week, when Major League Baseball convenes in Dallas from Dec. 9-11 for its annual Winter Meetings. Ideally, Helsley said he would remain with the Cardinals, his second daughter would be born in St. Louis in April and he would continue his record-setting ways with the only MLB franchise he’s known. But he knows all too well that business often trumps feelings, and life will go on if he’s dealt.

“Sometimes guys think the grass is greener on the other side, but that’s not always the case,” Helsley said on Sunday as his 2-year-old daughter Eliana played nearby. “There are a lot of good organizations out there and the Cardinals aren’t the only one that have a winning history.

“If I get traded, I hope it’s to a team that I can help win. But that would be an emotional day because I grew up rooting for the Cardinals, got drafted by them in 2015 and I’ve spent 10 years with them. But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to be professional and move on if it comes to that.”

That is a reality that Helsley lives with daily now, with rumors continuing to circulate about a potential trade. Helsley, 30, is obviously a hot commodity coming off a year in which he racked up a franchise-record 49 saves.

Think that’s the kind of lights-out dominance that might interest the closer-starved Orioles or Phillies? Might the Yankees want to get in on those sweepstakes after having success with former Cardinal Luke Weaver as their closer?

That’s what the Cardinals are trying to weigh as they determine whether to hang onto their only All-Star in 2024 or deal him for a bevy of prospects. Already determined to reduce payroll and shift their focus to their young core, why would the Cards need an All-Star closer if they won’t be in serious contention in 2025? A baseball bargain for $3.8 million in 2024, Helsley is projected to make $8.1 million after arbitration in 2025, per Spotrac. After that, could he command a $100 million contract like the ones signed previously by star closers Edwin Díaz and Josh Hader?

The Cardinals and president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, have expressed those financial dilemmas with Helsley in recent weeks, the closer said. Helsley worries that the 2026 departure of Mozeliak -- someone who has championed the flame-thrower’s superstar potential all the way back to his time in the Minor Leagues -- could cloud his long-term future with the club.

“I think [the talks] have gone well,” Helsley said. “They say they love having me here in St. Louis. With the way things have gone this last year, they like me where I’m at [financially], but they don’t know if they want to keep me long-term. Now, with [Mozeliak] leaving, that’s something that is going to have to be talked about, too, but we haven’t crossed that bridge. I know and they know this will be something that has to be decided from a business standpoint.”

Another person who Helsley has talked about a potential trade with is teammate Nolan Arenado, who hasn’t asked for a trade, but has let it be known that he might waive his no-trade clause if he could end up with a team that would allow him to compete for the World Series ring that has eluded him throughout his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Could a team such as the Phillies part with enough prospects to land both Helsley and Arenado?

It’s one topic the teammates have discussed, along with golf, and being doting girl dads.

“He’s in a different boat than me because he has a say and he can almost pick a team,” said Helsley, who is spending his offseason in his native Oklahoma. “If it doesn’t work out, he’ll have the same mindset coming back to St. Louis. … He knows where he’s at in his career, he’s got a few more years left and his window is closing, so to speak, and he just wants a chance to win.”

As for Helsley and the numerous sleepless nights he’s endured? Well …

“I just try to understand God’s got a plan for me and whatever happens, we’ll make it work,” he said. “If I’m across the country with a different team, we’ll just have to schedule a few more flights.”