The New York Yankees have been struggling lately. After holding a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League East, they have now fallen to 3 1/2 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays and sit in second in the division.
Fortunately, they still lead the Wild Card race, but they'll need to turn things around quickly if they want to be a threat down the stretch. They have needs to address at the trade deadline.
One area that could use a little bit of work is the bullpen. It has performed mostly up to par, but as the old saying goes, a team can never have too much pitching.
Kerry Miller proposed the idea of New York calling the St. Louis Cardinals about Ryan Helsley.
"If they're already calling about [Sonny] Gray, they might as well ask about Nolan Arenado, Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley while they're at it, as those are the other problem areas the Yankees might need to address," Miller wrote.
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The Yankees could certainly benefit from having Helsley around for the stretch run, and the Cardinals would be wise to trade him while he still has value.
The 30-year-old right-hander id 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA in 30 appearances and has racked up 17 saves. He saved a Cardinals franchise record 49 games last year and was named the National League Reliever of the Year.
But New York could essentially have three closers in the mix, those being Helsley, Devin Williams, and Luke Weaver. This would give them a great chance to get back on top in the AL East.
Helsley brings elite velocity to the table and can also generate swings and misses. He is averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings this season with St. Louis.
It will be interesting to see how New York operates at the trade deadline.
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