ST. LOUIS -- Walking through the Cardinals' clubhouse recently and seeing young players in all corners of the room, Ryan Helsley -- the longest-tenured player in the organization -- got both sentimental and wishful at the same time. “It's crazy to think of myself as a vet and being one of the old guys in here, and this being in my seventh year,” said Helsley, now 31 years old and in his 11th year with the organization after being plucked out of tiny Northeastern (Okla.) State in the 2015 MLB Draft. “But it's also pretty cool. “I really wish I could keep that [veteran] role, stay here and carry on that Cardinal tradition, but we'll see what happens. Right now, I’m just trying to take things day by day and win games.” Helsley, who notched the 100th save of his MLB career on June 28 in Cleveland, is realistic enough to know that closers don’t often have solid roles on rebuilding teams, and he knows that he is likely to be dealt elsewhere before the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline. Just thinking about that is emotionally crushing to Helsley, who will tell anyone who will listen that the Cardinals are “all he knows” in professional baseball and that he can’t imagine himself wearing a jersey that doesn’t include the famed birds on the bat. |
If he had it his way, he’d sign a contract extension commensurate to a two-time All-Star closer and he’d never have to worry about leaving St. Louis. His 2 1/2 -year-old daughter and newborn son have both been raised in St. Louis, and his wife, Alex, works in the suburbs as an optometrist. And most all his friends in baseball either play for the Cardinals or have played with them in the past. “Definitely, I would entertain [an extension offer], for sure,” he said recently. “I mean, this is all I've ever known. This is my 11th year here, counting my Draft year, so I’ve got a lot of good buddies here and I believe in the clubhouse and the young talent we have. “It's all out of my control now. If I had it my way, I would stay here and make it easy on myself, but that's just not the way the game works. It's a business, at the end of the day, and I get that. The hard part about this game is it all boils down to the business side of things. On my side, you build relationships, and you try to make the most of them because I know my window is small in my career. I'm just trying to be the best I can be.” |
No, Helsley isn’t as dominant or unhittable as he was in 2024, when he locked down a franchise-record 49 saves in 53 opportunities and posted a 2.04 ERA in 65 games. Early-season toe trouble led to his mechanics straying, causing big drop-offs in his whiff rate (from 36.1% in 2024 to 29.2% in 2025) and strikeout rate (from 29.7% to 24.8%). Still, he’s 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA and saves in 19 of 24 opportunities. That, of course, will likely be appealing to championship-or-bust teams such as the Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees and Tigers -- all of whom have had their troubles closing out games in 2025. The Phillies (4.36 bullpen ERA, 27 of 44 in save conversions), Dodgers (4.38 ERA, 29 of 43), Tigers (4.11 ERA, 27 of 40) and Yankees (4.14 ERA, 25 of 35) rank in the bottom half of MLB in reliever ERA. All could benefit from having a proven reliever the caliber of Helsley at the back end of their bullpens. While it’s certainly great to be wanted, Helsley wants to remain a Cardinal, and he wants to be paid like one of the game’s great closers. He admitted that it has been difficult to pitch this season while potentially being on the precipice of signing a nine-figure contract like the ones fellow All-Stars Josh Hader and Edwin Díaz landed in recent years. As with the trade rumors, Helsley has done what he could to try and block out thoughts of how every save, blown save or strikeout could impact his chances of landing the payday of a lifetime. “It's tough, you know, but the biggest thing for me is I feel like I've pitched on a one-year contract the last six years,” Helsley said. “When you go into [arbitration], it's a one-year contract and so on and so forth with second and third years. “I’m just trying to be here and be present and enjoy my time with my teammates because you never know what the future holds. I've loved being a Cardinal, and obviously it's all I've ever known, but it's been an honor to wear the birds on the bat.” |
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WHAT'S IN STORE FOR WALKER IN SECOND HALF? |
Finally activated following appendicitis and a lengthy rehab, Jordan Walker wasn’t in the Cards' original starting lineup in Arizona on Friday. However, he was inserted when Nolan Gorman’s balky back acted up and landed him on the 10-day injured list. The start was very much needed for the 6-foot-6 Walker, who has struggled through a third straight frustrating MLB season. Walker, 23, missed more than two weeks with left wrist irritation, and then went on the injured list a second time on June 23 when doctors fortunately uncovered his condition before his appendix burst. All of that has come while he’s slashed .207/.261/.293 (.554 OPS) with just three home runs, 23 RBIs and a strikeout rate that has surged to 33%. Walker had one of the Cardinals' most encouraging moments of an otherwise forgettable night on Friday. In the fifth inning, he used his enormous power to smash a ball 103.2 mph and 411 feet, per Statcast. D-backs center fielder Alek Thomas ultimately ran it down and caught it before crashing into the wall, but it could still be seen as a moment of progress from Walker. Statcast registered it as a homer in 27 MLB ballparks, just not Chase Field. “We need to continue to see more of that,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told MLB.com’s Michael Reynolds. “That’s the type of contact that’s needed, especially for his profile of hitter.” |
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