Ryan Helsley Now a logical trade candidate for ten months, dating back to the Cardinal’s manifesto, who plans to lower their salary to the 2025 season and focus on creating opportunities for young players. St. Louis surprisingly made it to Hullsley throughout the offseason and entered the deadline season. After getting the wildcard position earlier this summer, they have lost 13 of their last 19 games and are now sitting nine games. They still have only two and a half games back to the field of the wild card, but there are three teams to cross.
With the team’s recent slideshow, signs are that they will operate primarily in the sell market. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post in the past few days Phil Marton and Steven Matz. Gold wrote this morning that the Cardinal will not necessarily eliminate interest in left-handed relief workers John King Or infielder Nolan Gorman – Among other unnamed, more controllable works. (Probably Nanzha Jojo RomeroPeople who can control it in the 2026 season alone can also get it. )
Reality seems to be in the lineup. Hullsley told Athletics’ Katie Woo tonight, continuing to add: “I would say it’s 90%, and I’m leaving 10%. Hullsley made it clear that his preference is to stay in Cardinal and St. Louis to win, but that’s not a decision he currently controls.
Per Woo and colleague Will Sammon have at least five clubs showing interest in Hesley. The Dodgers are known to be interested in the 31-year-old flamethrower, and the Phillies have been linked with him earlier this season. During the offseason, the Blue Jays are part of the team that are interested, and now there are reasons to have their clear deadline buyers who can revisit their pursuit of the coming free agent.
Hullsley earned 8.2mm in the last season of club control. If he rejects it and signs elsewhere, the Cardinal could make him a qualifying offer for the 2026 draft and receive a compensatory draft pick in the 2026 draft, although this would assume that Hullsley continues to be healthy and production from Hullsley. Not a guarantee. The most certain way to extract future value from the previous All-Star Game is to trade him within next week.
Hullsley’s season has been a pleasant season compared to the average major league reliefist, but by his standards, a year has come. He threw 35 innings and recorded 3.09 ERA but has blown up 5 saves – more than all (four) last season. Hullsley’s 3-point shooting percentage and 9.2% walking percentage both tended in the wrong direction. He played 34.6% of his opponents since 2022-24, but his strikeout rate fell for the third straight season. His walking rates are higher than his 8.6% and 8.4% score in 2024 and 2022, respectively, although it is better than his 11.6% score in 2023 and matches his 2022-24 overall ratio. On the fastball, his average speed is still above 99 mph, although even his 99.3 mph average speed represents the 99.6 mph number of last year.
This is not to say that Hullsley doesn’t have much trade value. He is one of the most talented relief workers on the market and will be asking him for much lower prices than other trademark rescuers Emmanuel Clase,,,,, Jhoan Duran,,,,, Griffin Jax and David Bednar – All have at least one additional season controlled (one for Bednar, two for Duran and Jax, three for Clase). The coveted power weapon of the club competition racer has a high leverage racing record this time of year, and even if his grades drop, Hullsley will still check the boxes.
If the card strings a few wins together, maybe they will eventually catch Hullsley and plan to make him a qualified offer. However, the stance of things, the pitcher himself is preparing for next week’s deal – it sounds like several other cardinals may end up happening too.
