There are still three months until the July 31 trade deadline, but the Phillies are already being linked to a potential trade candidate by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Nightengale noted on Sunday morning that, “The Philadelphia Phillies, among other teams, already are keeping a close eye on Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who will likely be dealt by the trade deadline.” The Diamondbacks are also among the group of teams with interest in the St. Louis closer, per Nightengale.
Helsley’s name has popped up in trade rumors before. Ahead of last season’s trade deadline, there was some speculation he could get moved. Heading into this past offseason, his name appeared in trade rumors and reports again. The Cardinals, though, wanting to field a competitive club, have held on to Helsley, one of baseball’s premier closers.
Helsley, 30, is a two-time All-Star. He won the Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award, given to the National League’s top reliever, last year. The right-hander led the majors with 49 saves in 2024, appearing in 65 games and posting a 2.04 ERA.
Between 2022 and 2024, Helsley’s 5.8 WAR, per FanGraphs, ranked second among qualified relievers. In that span, he made 152 appearances for the Cardinals, recording 82 saves, striking out 34.6% of the hitters he faced and posting a 1.83 ERA.
The price for Helsley this summer, if he’s ultimately available, will likely be cheaper than it would’ve been last year or during the winter. He’s slated to be a free agent after this season. So any team acquiring him would only be getting him for the rest of this season, plus a possible postseason run. But still, as one of baseball’s top relievers, Helsley won’t come cheap.
Nightengale also wrote that the Phillies are “adamant” they won’t include Andrew Painter or Aidan Miller in “any trade”. Painter and Miller are the consensus top-two prospects in the Phillies’ farm system.
Painter, currently assigned to Low-A Clearwater, has started three games this season. His timeline to make his major league debut remains on pace for some point this summer. Miller, playing at Double-A Reading, is hitting .206/.308/.324 through his first 78 plate appearances.
The Phillies’ bullpen has had a rocky start to the year. The two guys expected to be their best high-leverage right-handers — Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano — haven’t been at their best. But even if those two rebound to help form a shutdown group in the back of the Phillies’ bullpen, alongside lefties José Alvarado and Matt Strahm, the front office may still want to add another arm to that stable, much like they did last summer in acquiring Carlos Estévez from the Angels.
There’s a lot of time between now and the trade deadline. A lot can happen between now and July. But the Phillies have been linked to Helsley before, who, no matter the circumstances, would likely make for a strong bullpen addition.
