Cards get 2 of Mets' top 15 prospects for Helsley

ST. LOUIS – In yet another sign of the Cardinals’ departure from being perennial World Series contenders to one now all in on building for the future, the club swapped its longest-tenured player in Ryan Helsley for three Minor League prospects on Wednesday night.

Prior to Wednesday night's 2-0 loss to the Marlins, the Cardinals dealt Helsley – their two-time All-Star and record-holder for saves in a season – to the Mets for 20-year-old infielder Jesus Baez, 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Nate Dohm and 23-year-old right-handed reliever Frank Elissalt, signaling the club’s likely direction for 2026 when current advisor Chaim Bloom takes over for departing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.

TRADE DETAILS

Mets receive: RHP Ryan Helsley
Cardinals receive: INF Jesus Baez (Mets' No. 8 prospect), RHP Nate Dohm (Mets' No. 14), RHP Frank Elissalt

The Cardinals could deal away several more of their veteran players prior to Thursday’s 5 p.m. CT MLB Trade Deadline. They have spent recent days trying to determine the trade markets for relievers Phil Maton, Steven Matz and JoJo Romero, while also gauging the potential returns for Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan, per sources. Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, both of whom have no-trade clauses in their contracts, told MLB.com that they met with Mozeliak and reaffirmed their desires to stay in St. Louis.

Initial reviews in the Minor Leagues have been mixed on the potential of Baez, who was signed out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2022 as a 17-year-old prospect. He later became New York’s Dominican Summer League Player of the Year and reached High-A Brooklyn in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. In 241 Minor League games at Class-A St. Lucie and Brooklyn, Baez has hit .234 with 30 home runs, 29 stolen bases and 136 RBIs.

Baez was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Mets system by MLB Pipeline, but he slots in at No. 6 in the Cards system just behind Triple-A catcher Jimmy Crooks, per MLB Pipeline. On a 20-80 scale, Pipeline graded Baez’s tools accordingly: Hit: 50, Power: 60, Run: 40, Arm: 60, Field: 50, Overall: 50.

Dohm, a third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was ranked No. 14 in New York’s system and slots in at No. 15 for the Cards. Elissalt, a 19th-round pick from 2024, was not ranked in the Mets system and he will not crack the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects.

Dohm transferred from Ball State University to Mississippi after his freshman year of college. This season with Class-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, Dohm has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) and has compiled a 3-5 record with a 2.87 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings.

Elissalt, a Miami native, hails from Nova Southeastern (Fla.) University, the same school that produced veteran Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Elissalt has made seven starts in his 21 appearances with Class-A St. Lucie, posting a 4-5 record with a 3.02 ERA. Over 56 2/3 innings, he has averaged 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Resigned to the fact that he would likely be dealt elsewhere, 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 Mets, who already have star closer Edwin Díaz in place as their closer.

Helsley, the longest-tenured player in the Cardinals organization before Wednesday’s deal, spoke longingly about being on a playoff contender prior to St. Louis’ game against the Marlins.

“You want to play in October because you never know if it is going to be your last time or your only time,” Helsley said. “We take it 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.”

Iván Herrera, a converted catcher who got his second professional start in left field on Wednesday night, is now the longest-tenured player in the Cards organization. Herrera, 25, has been with the organization since July 7, 2016, when he signed as an international free agent.

Helsley, an All-Star in 2022 and ’24, was never better than last season when he set a Cardinals franchise record for saves with 49. He hasn’t been nearly as dominant in 2025 after an early toe injury and some wayward mechanics. Still, he’s notched 21 saves in 26 chances.

Helsley admitted on Wednesday that he spent extra time this week trying to soak in his last few days with the Cardinals.

“I’ve showed up to the clubhouse early the last couple of days,” Helsley said. “And I was driving around the city a little bit and taking a few things in. But I’ve enjoyed my time here and St. Louis has been great to me. I’ve given everything I’ve had the last seven years here to try and help the team win.”