The St. Louis Cardinals are one of many teams on the cusp of a postseason spot, which could also become sellers if July goes poorly. For the Cardinals, if they do sell, they have a few interesting options they could ship off.
One of their top trade pieces is closer Ryan Helsley. With plenty of teams expected to be interested in him, Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, which would net the Cardinals multiple prospects for Helsley.
"He's in his free-agent walk year, and the Cardinals are still within striking distance. "Bowden wrote. "A reasonable return in a trade with the Phillies could be second baseman Aroon Escobar and outfielder Griffin Burkholder."
Trading Helsley would only come at the return of solid prospects, and both of these Phillies prospects are solid players to pick up for the Cardinals. Escobar is the Phillies' sixth-ranked prospect, while Burkholder is the ninth-ranked prospect in the Phillies system.
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Adding two top-ten prospects for Helsley, when he's set to be a free agent after the year, would be a great return for the Cardinals. Especially since Helsley hasn't been his best self, with a 3.19 ERA and 18 saves this season.
While he hasn't been at his best, he's still an above-average reliever and would be a nice pickup for any team. But, for the Cardinals, both prospects would be a nice return for a couple of months of Helsley, especially if they aren't a postseason team.
The 20-year-old Escobar has been impressing this season in the minors, hitting 11 home runs in 69 games, with the majority coming in the first half of his season. He's been a rising prospect for the Phillies and would be a nice pickup for St. Louis.
Burkholder, meanwhile, was a second-round pick in 2024 and would be a nice pickup to bolster the outfield depth in the minor leagues, while adding an intriguing prospect to the farm system.
Losing Helelsey would sting, but this trade proposal from Bowden would net a couple of nice prospects from the Phillies. If St. Louis decides to sell, Helsley would be a strong candidate to be moved, and this return would be a nice one for the Cardinals to receive for their All-Star closer.
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