Cardinals' Ryan Helsley receives bold trade deadline prediction from MLB teams

With the MLB trade deadline less than a week away, the St. Louis Cardinals, who are poised to sell, have a lot of attention on their bullpen. There are three potential trade pieces in the bullpen, and recently, one received a firm prediction from MLB teams.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is one of three top relievers who are predicted to be on the move at the upcoming trade deadline.

"Teams believe that the best three relievers traded at the deadline will be Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins," Nightengale writes, "David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals."

All three relievers would fetch a nice return, and they each have different levels of team control. Duran, who signed the longest, will likely fetch the best return. Bednar is under their control for 2026, while Helsley is an expiring deal.

MORE: MLB insider reveals three relievers Cardinals are most likely to trade

The package for Helsley might not be the best due to his rental status, but the Cardinals could still receive solid prospects in return for the two-time All-Star closer. 

Helsley, at 31 years old and in year seven of his big league career, has been solid this season. He has a 3.00 ERA in 36 appearances with 21 saves, 41 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 36 innings pitched.

His 139 ERA+ is the lowest it's been since 2022, but it's still a very strong number, and good enough for plenty of teams to be interested in him. And with Nightingale's report, the chances of him being dealt look great.

With MLB teams expecting Helsley to be among the better relievers dealt at the deadline, and Helsley also saying in a piece from Katie Woo of The Athletic that he has a 90 percent chance of being traded, the longest tenured Cardinal looks to be on his way out by the end of the month.

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