Red Sox-Cardinals Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships $81M Two-Time All-Star To Boston

Never too early to think about the deadline...

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It's a great feeling for supporters of the Boston Red Sox to know their team will almost certainly be buyers at this year's trade deadline.

It's Major League Baseball, so nothing should ever be taken for granted. However, after an offseason of real spending, the Red Sox are only half a game out of first place in late April, and they've yet to really hit their stride.

When the deadline arrives, the Red Sox will likely concentrate their efforts on finding pitching. They could chase both starters and relievers, but for the sake of this piece, let's concentrate for a moment on their needs in the bullpen.

The Red Sox have three trustworthy relievers right now in Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, and Aroldis Chapman. If they find more on their own roster by July, fantastic, but if not, there's every reason to assume Boston will go after one of the biggest names on the relief market.

To that end, NESN's Mike Cole named the St. Louis Cardinals' two-time All-Star closer as an early trade target to watch for the Red Sox in an article published on Wednesday.

"Helsley is in the final year of his contract, and he’d be a rental," Cole wrote. "There was some talk or at least some speculation that Helsley could have been part of Red Sox-Cardinals trade talks centered around Nolan Arenado in the offseason.

"The Cardinals closer led the big leagues in saves a year ago (49) and has been nasty again this season, striking out nine of the 31 batters he has faced this season. The Cardinals have stumbled out of the blocks, and that could make Helsley a popular name in talks moving forward."

Helsley, 30, won the National League's Reliever of the Year Award last year, and is off to a strong start this year as well, especially if you take out the four-walk blown save he had against the Red Sox three weeks ago. He's got a 2.25 ERA, 10 strikeouts, and eight walks in eight innings.

Spotrac projects Helsley for a six-year, $81 million contract, and if that's what he does wind up commanding, it might be best for the Red Sox to let him walk after the season. But first things first: Boston needs to win the trade sweepstakes, and it's likely to take at least one highly regarded prospect.

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