Inside The Cardinals

Could Cardinals Follow Tigers Footsteps With Deadline Swap?

St. Louis has some decisions to make...
Patrick McAvoy|
Jul 30, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The hat and glove of Detroit Tigers right fielder Robbie Grossman (8) sits on the ledge of the dugout during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images
Jul 30, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The hat and glove of Detroit Tigers right fielder Robbie Grossman (8) sits on the ledge of the dugout during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsDetroit Tigers

The St. Louis Cardinals in a curious position right now.

On the bright side, the Cardinals are five games above .500 at 51-46. The Cardinals are just 1 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot right now with the second half of the season kicking off on Friday, July 18th.

The Cardinals are one of baseball's biggest surprises this season, but there's a lot of competition in the National League this season. The American League is wide open, but the National League is significantly more difficult this year.

Because of this, it's hard to fully know what the club will do ahead of the July 31st trade deadline. Is being just a few games above .500 enough for St. Louis to add pieces? We'll see, but no matter what, Ryan Helsley is going to be talked about at length. The Cardinals have one of the top closers in the game, but he hasn't had as good of a season as last year and will be a free agent this winter.

He has been the big name talked about in St. Louis for months now. FanSided's Zach Pressnell is the latest to talk about a potential deal. He shared a column highlighting one move to "save" each team's season and for St. Louis suggested a Helsley "buyer-to-buyer" deal and one team that was mentinoed was the Detroit Tigers.

"No. 13. St. Louis Cardinals: Trade RHP Ryan Helsley in a buyer-to-buyer deal," Pressnell said. "The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the more shocking teams in the league this year. They've won a lot more and been a lot more competitive than anybody expected. Because of that, the trade deadline is a major question mark in St. Louis.

"The Cardinals should buy, but they need to do it the right way. What I mean by this is the Cardinals could trade somebody like Ryan Helsley to a contender in an attempt to add big league talent. This could be a deal with the Dodgers to bring in Justin Wrobleski, Bobby Miller, or James Outman. They could also try to make a deal with the Tigers to add more top young talent."

This scenario would be taking a page out of the Tigers' playbook. Last year, the Tigers flipped some pieces, like Jack Flaherty, at the deadline, but didn't full sale. Detroit went on to make the playoffs and now is one of the best teams in baseball. Flipping Helsley could be the Cardinals' version.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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