Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Urged To Pursue Immediate Blockbuster Trade, Per Top Sportscaster

St. Louis could be headed for a heartbreaking move
Nate Hagerty|
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsArizona DiamondbacksPhiladelphia Phillies

The St. Louis Cardinals are supposed to be rebuilding but with the youth-laden roster motivated to compete, it's challenging to predict where the franchise is headed.

After declaring an organizational reset last fall, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is stuck between seeing how competitive this year's team can be and moving to blow up the roster before the July 31st trade deadline.

Regardless of how competitive St. Louis is this summer, a former host for The Fast Lane on St. Louis 101 ESPN urged the Cardinals to immediately complete a blockbuster trade involving a fan favorite.

"I think that if you trade (Ryan) Helsley now -- and by the way the (Philadelphia) Phillies bullpen has been horrific and the (Arizona) Diamondbacks aren't getting what they expected out of their bullpen," Sports Hub STL's sportscaster Randy Karraker stated Tuesday after recent reports indicate that the Phillies and Diamondbacks are interested in trading for Helsley. "Both of those franchises have some young and interesting pitchers to move. If I'm Mo', again I'm going to go to Chaim (Bloom) and say okay, 'what do you want for Helsley?' because obviously Chaim is going to have to be the guy that deals with the return on those players."

Helsley will likely become a free agent for the first time in his career this upcoming winter but with the Cardinals unlikely to meet his expensive market value, the flamethrowing closing pitcher is a prime summer trade candidate who arguably should've been moved over the offseason.

"I would move Ryan Helsley tomorrow if they (Cardinals) could get something for him," Karraker continued to say before suggesting that St. Louis should've traded the 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year over the winter.

The 30-year-old is in a volatile position and has shown small glimpses of regression this year -- posting a 1-0 record with two blown saves, a 3.60 ERA, 10-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .222 batting average against and a 1.60 WHIP in 10 innings pitched across 10 appearances for the Cardinals.

Trading Helsley now could guarantee a better return for the Cardinals than if they wait for this summer, potentially after his market value plummets.

Regardless of whether moving Helsley now would be in the Cardinals' best interest, Mozeliak is in his final year at the helm before Bloom supersedes him as POBO in 2026, so it would be shocking to see him make such a daring move, especially after neglecting to do much of anything over the offseason.

More MLB: Cardinals Inching Closer To Receiving Much-Needed Lineup Boost

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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