Rangers Lose Out on Ryan Helsley After Cardinals Trade Him to Mets

The Texas Rangers will now have to look at other options in the bullpen after the St. Louis Cardinals traded Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets.

Jul 25, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) reacts after the Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Scratch St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley off the list of potential trade targets for the Texas Rangers

On Wednesday, the Cardinals dealt Helsley to the New York Mets for a package of players. The Mets were answering the move NL East rival Philadelphia had just made by trading for Minnesota reliever Jhoan Duran. The move was reported by ESPN and other outlets.

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That took two of the best closers off the market and changes the complexion of the trade market for teams like the Rangers with less than 24 hours before the 6 p.m. eastern trade deadline on Thursday.

Per Evan Grant at The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) Helsley was a player that the Rangers appeared interested in, as the organization contacted the Cardinals about his availability.

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Other relievers the Rangers are reportedly interested in included closers Pete Fairbanks of the Tampa Bay Rays and David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Texas has also expressed interest in three Colorado Rockies relievers — Jake Bird, Victor Vodnik and Tyler Kinley.

Kinley was traded to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

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The Rangers have been a closer-by-committee this season, with seven different pitchers recording at least one save.

Any bullpen acquisition would give Texas pitchers like Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Robert Garcia and Jacob Webb some, well, relief. The quartet have all pitched in at least 40 games this season. Chris Martin, who is currently on the injured list with a calf strain, has 39 appearances.

Webb was moved to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with back spasms. The Rangers promoted Luis Curvelo from Triple-A Round Rock.

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The Rangers could opt to go in other directions when it comes to bullpen help. But Texas is clearly looking outside the organization for help, as their options are limited at the Triple-A level.

Texas ends its series with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The Rangers will be in Seattle for four games starting on Thursday.  

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