Helsley, Arenado look ahead to Deadline with uncertainty

This story was excerpted from John Denton's Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- Throughout his 11 years in the Cardinals’ organization -- the most of any player currently wearing the birds on a bat across their chest -- Ryan Helsley has garnered admiration from teammates for “always being the same guy.” Basically, it didn’t matter whether Helsley had just set the franchise single-season record for saves or let a game slip away, he almost always still offered up a welcoming smile and a glass-half-full optimistic perspective.

Monday night, however, was a bit different when it came to Helsley’s usually syrupy-sweet disposition. While staring at the clubhouse carpet and using a voice that grew sharper in tone the longer that he talked, Helsley sounded like a man resigned to his future fate.

“The odds are that I’ll be somewhere else,” Helsley told MLB.com, referring to where he’ll most likely be playing when Thursday’s 5 p.m. CT MLB Trade Deadline rolls around.

Could Helsley be in Toronto, where the Blue Jays have reached out to the Cardinals about Phil Maton, Steven Matz, JoJo Romero, Helsley, Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith? OK, I just threw those last two Hall of Famers in because they -- along with Helsley -- are the only closers to earn multiple All-Star selections while pitching in a Cardinals uniform. Trade talks with the Jays are so advanced that they have already discussed with Helsley’s camp a plan of having Jeff Hoffman and Helsley share the closer role, per a source. Toronto did land Seranthony Domínguez from the Orioles on Tuesday, but he is likely just the appetizer with Helsley being the main course for a relief-starved team.

Could Helsley be in Philadelphia, where the Phillies’ bullpen has offered little relief at all this season? After coming up short for three years in a row, the Phillies are understandably in World Series-or-bust mode. With six Top 100 prospects in their Minor League system, the Phillies could potentially meet the steep asking price for Helsley -- as long as the Cards don’t demand 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter (MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall prospect).

Or could Helsley end up with the Dodgers, Yankees or Rangers? And could third baseman Nolan Arenado potentially be accompanying Helsley in a trade to the Phillies or Dodgers? Arenado, who used his no-trade clause to squash an agreed-upon deal to the Astros last December, could be softening his stance a bit following his struggles at the plate and the belief that this might be his last chance to join a championship contender.

This, of course, is a position that neither Helsley nor Arenado ever expected themselves to be in. Helsley, now 31, was drafted by the Cards in 2015, made it to the big leagues in 2019 and has been a stalwart in their ’pen since 2021. He needed just 53 opportunities to save a club-record 49 games in 2024 when he won the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year award, and he hit the 100-save plateau for his career on June 28 of this season. The Cardinals are all he has ever known in terms of professional baseball, and he’ll tell anyone who asks that his preference is to remain a Redbird.

As for Arenado, he arrived in St. Louis before the 2021 season with the strong belief that his gold glove and his thunderous bat would be the final pieces that would make the Cards a World Series-winning franchise for a 12th time. However, Arenado has appeared in just three playoff games in his five years of being in St. Louis after escaping mediocrity in Colorado. If his time with the Cards is nearing an end, he will leave without having won a single playoff game. It is a pock mark that looms over his 13-year, Hall of Fame-worthy career the same way the Gateway Arch towers over downtown St. Louis.

The resignation in Helsley’s voice on Monday night spoke to how unlikely that it is that he remains in St. Louis -- home to his two young children and where his wife works as an optometrist -- because of the potential prospect haul the Cards can get for him. Helsley’s skyrocketing value only soared higher when Guardians’ All-Star Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31, thus removing him from the trade block.

When the supply shrank, the demand for a closer as proven and dominant as Helsley only intensified. As many as 10 MLB teams have inquired about Helsley, per a source.

If the Phillies win the battle for Helsley, could the deal be a combination package that also includes Arenado? Of course, the 10-time Gold Glover would have to approve such a deal, but that transaction would certainly satisfy his wish to play for a championship contender. Superstar slugger Bryce Harper has reportedly let it be known in Philadelphia that he would gladly switch back to the outfield if the Phillies acquire another corner infielder that makes them more potent.

A final answer will come by Thursday evening, but for the time being the reality is this: Helsley and Arenado could soon be putting on their Cardinals jerseys for the final time.