The St. Louis Cardinals are dangerously close to .500 after a 5-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. They have already committed to selling at the trade deadline.
They have three relief pitchers on expiring contracts that teams will show interest in. Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz are likely to be shipped out.
The Cardinals are now 4 1/2 games back of the San Diego Padres for the final National League Wild Card spot and are also now 10 games back in the NL Central.
MLB.com recently proposed six trade ideas with the deadline less than 48 hours away. Seattle Mariners reporter Brian Murphy proposed the idea of the team landing both Helsley and Maton from St. Louis.
"Seattle’s bullpen is anchored by two hard-throwing right-handers with unhittable sliders: closer Andrés Muñoz and setup man Matt Brash. But there is plenty of room for improvement behind that duo, and the Mariners could turbocharge their ‘pen with a couple of rental relievers from St. Louis," Murphy wrote.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Helsley has saved 21 games this year in 36 appearances and is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Maton is 1-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 40 appearances.
Both veteran relievers are able to generate swings and misses, which is valuable for any bullpen to have. Packaging both relievers together could allow St. Louis to bring back a massive haul of prospects that will set them up well for 2026 and beyond.
With the Cardinals out of contention, it ultimately makes sense to trade their rental relievers and capitalize on their value. Their minor league pitching depth has taken a hit this year due to injuries.
Thus, the Cardinals could bring back some solid prospects to replenish their depth. They are in desperate need of more rotation options for the future.
We'll see if the Cardinals are able to bring back solid returns for their relievers.
More MLB: Cardinals' Ryan Helsey's trade market 'moving quickly' according to insider