The St. Louis Cardinals are finally poised to begin the rebuild that many expected a few seasons ago. The team may consider trading several veterans from its roster, such as Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray. Jim Bowden of The Athletic anticipates that the Cardinals will approach this rebuild aggressively. Bowden predicts that St. Louis will make a major move this winter by trading their standout closer, to the Philadelphia Phillies. Helsley is expected to secure a six-year, $82 million contract when he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season, according to Spotrac.
“The Cardinals are focused on rebuilding, while the Phillies are in need of a hard-throwing, impactful reliever,” Bowden wrote. “The Phillies lost two key high-leverage relievers, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, to free agency and have prioritized strengthening this area during the offseason.” Bowden went on to highlight Helsley’s impressive performance, noting that he won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best closer/reliever in the National League this year, posting a 2.04 ERA with 49 saves and 79 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings. Bowden then proposed a potential trade scenario, suggesting the Cardinals could package Helsley and Arenado together in exchange for Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and additional prospects.
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