ST. LOUIS – Resigned to the fact that he would likely be dealt elsewhere before the MLB Trade Deadline, Ryan Helsley and his camp had talked to various teams in recent days about him possibly sharing the closer role with a World Series contender.
That team will be the New York Mets, who traded for the Cardinals’ two-time All-Star closer on Wednesday night. He’ll join a remade Mets bullpen where star closer Edwin Diaz is already in place.
In return for Helsley, the Cardinals got 20-year-old infielder Jesus Baez plus right-handed pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt. Baez, a former Dominican Summer League Player of the Year, was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Mets system by MLB Pipeline, while Dohm was ranked No. 14. Elissalt was not ranked among the Mets’ Top 30 prospects.
Mets receive: RHP Ryan Helsley
Cardinals receive: INF Jesus Baez (Mets’ No. 8 prospect), RHP Nate Dohm (No. 14), RHP Frank Elissalt
Helsley’s proven credentials combined with his expiring contract made him one of the Cardinals’ most likely trade candidates. That comes even though he was the franchise’s longest-tenured player, dating to the 2015 MLB Draft, when he was selected out of tiny Northeastern (Okla.) State.
Helsley, an All-Star in 2022 and ’24, was never better than last season, when he not only set a Cardinals franchise record for saves (49), but he needed just 53 opportunities to accomplish that feat. He hasn’t been nearly as dominant in 2025 after battling an early toe injury and some wayward mechanics. Still, he’s notched 21 saves in 26 chances, while striking out 41 hitters in 36 innings. Overall, he’s 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA.
“You want to play in October because you never know if it is going to be your last time or your only time,” Helsley, who has appeared in the postseason in three separate seasons with the Cardinals, said before the trade on Wednesday. “We take [playing in the postseason] for granted sometimes, and I think when you have that chance and another team wants you to add you to their team, that’s a big deal.”
Despite drops in strikeout rate and whiff rate from his electric 2024 season, Helsley still owns a fastball that sits in baseball’s 99th percentile in velocity (99.3 mph on average) and a slider that has become a wipeout pitch. He has a plus-10 run value on that slider, which is tied for sixth-highest run value on a single pitch among all relievers.
What makes Helsley’s acquisition tricky is that he is hoping to command a contract this offseason similar to the ones signed by All-Star closers Edwin Díaz (five years, $102 million) and Josh Hader (five years, $95 million). Before the 2025 season, Helsley changed his representation from the Ballengee Group to Wasserman – a sign that he could be pursuing a nine-figure deal over at least four years.
