Inside The Cardinals

Red-Hot Cardinals Should Target Top Prospect In Trade With Yankees

The Cardinals could use Ryan Helsley to land some serious outfield help this season.
Zach Pressnell|
May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsNew York Yankees

The St. Louis Cardinals have been at the center of a lot of trade speculation this season and a lot of it revolves around expiring pitcher Ryan Helsley.

There are a lot of teams, including the New York Yankees, who would be a perfect fit for Helsley this season. The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign him in free agency, so trading him will be the best option.

In a potential deal with the Yankees, the Cardinals could look to target top outfield prospect Spencer Jones as the headliner in the return.

Jones, 24, is slashing .228/.372/.554 through 26 games at the Double-A level this season. His power numbers have been incredible, though he's struggled to hit for average. His lack of a solid batting average is overshadowed by his on-base percentage near .400 and his OPS of over .900.

He would be the perfect return for the Cardinals in a potential deal for Helsley. Relief pitchers were valued quite highly at the trade deadline last season and it's bound to be the case again this year. With Helsley being the top relief arm expected to be on the trade block, he's going to be able to land the Cardinals a star like Jones.

For the Yankees, adding Helsley would be a perfect addition to the bullpen. Devin Williams has struggled and Helsley could come in and take some of the load off Williams and Luke Weaver's shoulders.

New York could afford to cut ties with Jones because it has a solid big league outfield. Jasson Dominguez, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger are big league outfielders and Jones will struggle to find playing time around them.

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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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