Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' $81 Million Star Linked To Hated Rival In Huge Trade

The Cardinals could look to trade their star closer before the trade deadline.
Zach Pressnell|
Jun 25, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) celebrates with catcher Ivan Herrera (47) reacts after the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) celebrates with catcher Ivan Herrera (47) reacts after the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of tough decisions to make at the trade deadline.

Potentially the biggest and toughest decision for the Cardinals to make revolves around whether or not they want to trade their star closer, Ryan Helsley.

Redbird Rants' Josh Jacobs recently suggested the Cardinals could trade Helsley to the rival Chicago Cubs in a potential win-now move. Helsley's contract expires at the end of the season and Spotrac projects him to sign for $81 million over six years in free agency.

"If you look around baseball, there are already multiple teams in desperate need of bullpen upgrades, and that list will likely grow as the trade deadline approaches," Jacobs wrote. "The Diamondbacks, Phillies, Rangers, and Cubs are the most obvious examples right now, and at least three of those teams seem like they'd have interest in Helsley.

"It may seem odd to suggest trading Helsley in order to add to the Cardinals' roster, but there are multiple ways doing so could help them upgrade the big league roster."

Having the Cubs on this list makes no sense in the first place, but it really makes no sense in a move that Jacobs suggests would upgrade the big league roster.

Helsley is an elite closer. Trading him to the division rival that the Cardinals are chasing in the National League Central would increase the gap between the Cubs and Cardinals.

This would add one of the more reliable bullpen arms in baseball to a team that's missing an elite closer. At that point, the Cardinals would be gift wrapping the division and handing it to the Cubs.

Trading Helsley makes sense but suggesting the Cubs as a landing spot doesn't.

More MLB: Cardinals Predicted To Use Struggling Prospect As 'Trade Bait'

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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