The St. Louis Cardinals are 47-40, 4.0 games back in the National League Central. Barring anything drastic happening over the next month, the Cardinals look to be in a position to potentially not only win the division but also make the postseason via the Wild Card.
There’s plenty that has to play out over the next few months, but the Cardinals are in a much better position than they were expected to be coming into the year.
For that reason alone, it likely confuses some plans at the trade deadline. However, suppose the Cardinals could get off Nolan Arenado’s contract and potentially move on from Ryan Helsley before he becomes a free agent at the end of the campaign. In that case, it’s possible they could look to move both.
MORE: Cardinals July record will determine potential Ryan Helsley trade
And according to CBS Sports, if they move on from Helsley, they expect him to have a massive market, noting that practically every contender would be a potential landing spot.
“Helsley, an impending free agent, would be an obvious candidate to go should their fortune change. He’s not had his usual dominant season to date: he’s allowed as many home runs this season as he did in the previous two combined, and both his strikeout and walk rates have mozied the wrong direction. Even so, Helsley remains a high-octane, high-leverage arm with ample endgame experience. Potential landing spots: Practically every contender,” they wrote.
Helsley hasn’t been as dominant as he typically is, but he still owns a 3.41 ERA and has struck out 34 hitters in 29.0 innings.
His numbers are much worse than they typically are, but if he can return to form and throw the baseball at a high level down the stretch for a contending team, he might be one of the better players dealt at the deadline.
MORE CARDINALS NEWS:
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher named as most likely to be traded
Cardinals linked to Diamondbacks starter amid postseason push
