The offseason is underway. On Thursday, the Cardinals began their reconstruction by declining the club options for Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Keynan Middleton. It’s the start of what looks to be a brutal offseason in St. Louis, with more players on their way out.
In addition, I believe it is reasonable to predict that the Cardinals will not sign any free agents, which is regrettable. While a reconstruction is important, it will not be without suffering.
The most likely player to be moved out is closer Ryan Helsley. I believe the Cardinals should have taken advantage of his worth at this year’s trade deadline, but better late than never, I suppose.
The Cardinals can acquire a lot of prospects in exchange for him, and the defending champion Dodgers are the greatest option.
Cardinals should trade Ryan Helsley to Dodgers
I say this because the Dodgers have a lot of pitching depth and young arms available in a trade. You might even receive some of their best young arms in exchange.
This combination may appear to be a stretch, but the Dodgers will return Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow to the rotation next season. They’ll also get a full year of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and who knows if Walker Buehler will return after a successful postseason?
If the Cardinals want a haul, this is where they should look first. The Dodgers have a lot of pitching depth, and the Cardinals need to add young, cost-controlled talent, which they should have done at both the 2023 and this year’s deadlines.
Frasso is almost ready for the Major Leagues, whereas Miller has already tasted the big leagues. Both might be solid rotation candidates moving into spring training, potentially replacing Gibson and Lynn.
In some ways, assuming the Cardinals get the best possible deal for Helsley, their rotation, as bizarre as it sounds, may be better in 2025 than it was this year because there is some upside rather than more aged veterans.
Next year will be about growth and providing young players opportunities. It can’t hurt to have more young guns competing for positions on the roster.
