St. Louis could end up selling again before the trade deadline.
If the St. Louis Cardinals do not turn things around soon, they will face some difficult options.
St. Louis went into the 2024 season with great expectations after revamping the roster this winter following a terrible 2023 season. The Cardinals greatly improved their starting rotation and bullpen, but the team has not achieved the success they had planned for.
The Cardinals are now in last place in the National League Central, with a terrible 15-20 record, and have gone 4-6 in their last ten games. St. Louis’ weak offense is the primary reason for the unsatisfactory record.
If the Cardinals can’t address problems, they’ll most likely be sellers before the trade deadline, like they were last season. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, All-Star closer Ryan Helsley might be traded if this happens.
“Mentioned (Monday) on MLB Network that the Cardinals quietly have positioned their roster to be quick sellers if they wish to be, and one of the biggest moves they could make is dealing Ryan Helsley,” Goold stated. “It would be comparable to what the Yankees did in 2016: sell and get a quick reset without going several steps back for a year or more. Of course, the Yankees haven’t won the World Series since then.
“If the Cardinals want to quickly transition away from this roster and into a new look, even a fast-forward rebuild, they would consider all options.” Dramatic changes would undoubtedly be explored, and I believe it is not well discussed how they have prepared the roster for that possibility.”
Helsley has performed admirably this season and is well positioned to earn his second All-Star nomination. He has a remarkable 1.50 ERA and a 19-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 games, which leads the league. Helsely is also the league leader in saves, with 11 already.
He’s been wonderful for the Cardinals, but if they don’t turn things around, he could be traded this season.
