After months of speculation, rumors, and non-activity, the St. Louis Cardinals have officially pulled the trigger and traded closer Ryan Helsley. The pitcher was the longest-tenured Cardinal but will now find a home in the New York Mets juggernaut bullpen.

Cardinals trade Ryan Helsley to Mets

Helsley, 31, was selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2015 draft and was initially viewed as a starter coming out of Northeastern State in Oklahoma. The rotation development lasted until the 2019 season and the hard-throwing Helsley was moved from a starter to the big league bullpen despite solid performance as a starter. After the promotion to the St. Louis reliever corps, Helsley has comfortably taken a seat in the bullpen as a high-leverage arm.

Despite reiterating and interest to pitch out of the rotation, it’s hard to argue against the fact the Cardinals made the right move. In his big league career with St. Louis, Helsley has picked up 105 saves which puts him in sixth place in franchise history. His 49 saves last season led the Major Leagues and set the Cardinals record for a single season. This year, he has not been able to replicate that level of success but he has still been an effective closer and the best name available on the trade market. All told, the two-time All-Star leaves Busch Stadium with a 31-15 record, 105 saves, and a 2.67 ERA.

Helsley understood the need for St. Louis to get something in return for his services and has been a professional during the entirety of the situation. He even went so far as saying that he would be open to re-signing with the Cardinals this offseason if the team is willing to bring him back to the only organization he has known.

In return for the next two months of his arm, the New York Mets are giving up multiple prospects as they build towards a championship run this season. The full return is shortstop Jesus Baez along with pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.

Baez is the Mets #8 prospect, according to MLB.com, and is putting up a decent season with High-A Brooklyn as a 20 year old. Fangraphs believes he will slot in at second base as a bat-first infielder with 50-60 grade power. Dohm is a former third-round pick and the Mets’ 14th-best prospect while pitching at two levels of A-ball after being selected in 2024. He has great command of multiple pitches and if he can stay healthy, should be a future big league starter. Elissalt was selected in the same draft as Dohm but does not yet crack the organization’s top-30 list. In two levels of A-ball, Dohm is 4-5 with a 3.02 ERA while working as a starter and a reliever. He has struck out 66 batters in 56.2 innings while showing decent command of the zone.

The deal was first reported as being close by Jon Heyman before the return was confirmed on Twitter. The Cardinals look to sell more pieces before Thursday’s deadline.