With the Detroit Tigers in the middle of a very rough part of their season, which has featured the Tigers dropping 12 of their last 14 games, the trade deadline is a very important time to bolster the roster.
There have been reports that the Tigers won’t make a splash at the deadline, but they could look to bring in rentals in the bullpen, especially a closer, to help improve a leaky bullpen.
Buster Olney of ESPN linked the Tigers to a reliever who’d be a great addition to the bullpen. The two-time All-Star closer is St. Louis Cardinals veteran Ryan Helsley.
“The St. Louis Cardinals are two games over .500, with the industry waiting to see whether they will deal closer Ryan Helsley.” Olney writes. “The expectation sis that they will, given the tough NL playoff landscape. The Tigers could be interested…”
Olney’s report links the Tigers to Helsley, while also painting an encouraging picture that the Cardinals’ closer will be dealt at the upcoming trade deadline.
MORE: Tigers ‘make a lot of sense’ in trade for $275 million All-Star third baseman
In his seventh season in the big leagues, Helsley has impressed once again this season, even though he hasn’t been at his best. He has a 3.00 ERA, 21 saves, 41 strikeouts, and a 1.39 WHIP across 36 innings pitched.
In 2024, he had a 2.04 ERA, 79 strikeouts, a 1.10 WHIP, and 49 saves in 66.1 innings. He earned his second All-Star nod and was also in some trade rumors at the 2024 season’s trade deadline.
But, in 2025, his chances of being dealt look a lot better than they ever have. Helsley believes that he has a 90 percent chance of being dealt, which further indicates that the veteran Cardinals closer could be on a new team by August.
Olney linking the Tigers to St. Louis for Helsley makes a lot of sense. They have the prospects to deal for him, and Detroit needs another reliever, especially a closer who can take over for Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest.
For the Tigers, a team looking to add, but not in a major way, a rental in the form of Helsley would be a reasonable middle ground to pursue. While not a splash, he’s still a great pickup and would be exciting for Detroit amid an incredible season thus far.
MORE MLB NEWS:
