With the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline looming just over 24 hours away, teams like the Yankees are making the finishing touches to their rosters. With their third base problem answered at least to some degree with Ryan McMahon, bullpen help could be the next question satisfied before the buzzer goes off. Another Ryan—Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals—could be the fit to that answer for any number of clubs, as an extremely talented back end arm on a Cardinals team that is floating in no-man’s land.
Ryan Helsley debuted for St. Louis back in 2019, and has established himself as one of the sport’s most consistent and dominant relief pitchers since the the 2022 season. That was the season that he added around two miles per hour to his fastball, which is probably no coincidence, and something that has fueled a four season run as one of baseball’s best closers.
In that 2022 campaign, Helsley managed a shiny 1.25 ERA and a 2.34 FIP to match. With that elite run prevention came a strikeout rate that jumped from 22.8 percent the year prior to nearly 40, while his walk rate dropped nearly five percentage points. He made the All-Star team in 2022, a season that perhaps still stands as his most dominant for the Cardinals. Helsley was far from a one-hit wonder, however, as in 2023-24 he was just as good, managing a 2.18 ERA and 2.35 FIP in that stretch, while still averaging decimal points shy of triple digit velocity on his fastball. In 2024, he was given the full-time closer role, leading the league with 49 saves, making another All-Star team with All-MLB First Team honors, and winning the Trevor Hoffman Award for the NL Reliever of the Year.
Across 36 inning in 2025, Helsley has taken a moderate step back with his even 3.00 ERA and a FIP more than a full run higher than it’s been post-breakout. He’s still racking up plenty of saves as the closer for St. Louis, but his pure performance numbers have taken a slight hit, though he has still been far from bad. His (pretty much) two-pitch mix has remained largely unchanged, anchored by that elite velocity heater and a slider, which he splits the usage of just about 50-50. His K rate has dropped from 2024, just as it has each year since that 2022 surge, and he’s already given up as many homers as he did between ‘23 and ‘24.
Despite all of this, however, Helsley is a high-value trade candidate at this year’s deadline, and with as much potential for dominance as anyone (and a track record of just that), he would be a boost to any bullpen in baseball.
One of those bullpens, of course, would be that of the Yankees. Devin Williams seems to be past the early-season blues, but Luke Weaver has not quite been the dominant force he was at the end of last season. And beyond Tim Hill, the rest of the ‘pen is a bit of a mess. The back end of the bullpen could always use a jolt, and the Yankees have been rumored to be interested in Helsley providing one. He could close, but if they’d rather avoid any ninth-inning drama, they could simply follow their playbook from the 2018 Trade Deadline, when they acquired Zack Britton from Baltimore and put him in a setup role. As just a post-deadline rental (Helsley hits the open market this offseason) the asking price won’t be through the roof, and could be an option for this Yankees squad that needs to make something happen in the final summer months.
Helsley has been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball for multiple seasons now, and although his 2025 has been a small step back, his talent and resume are undeniable. He stands as likely the best reliever on the trade market at the deadline, with plenty of teams reportedly interested in adding his services. He could be worth a real look for the Yankees at the right price, as they seemingly need everything they can get looking upward in the American League East.
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