Fansided

John Mozeliak is about to squander the Cardinals' best trade asset

Don't mess this up!

By Zachary Rotman

Aug 1, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak talks with the media after the Cardinals traded shortstop Paul DeJong (11) and starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Aug 1, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak talks with the media after the Cardinals traded shortstop Paul DeJong (11) and starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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After a second straight season without a postseason appearance, the St. Louis Cardinals are changing course. Instead of trying to compete for a World Series title, the organization appears to be headed towards a rebuild or at least a retool.

Their new direction means prioritizing playing time for younger players and parting with older veterans or those who don't have a future in St. Louis. Players like Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn are free agents who likely won't be back in St. Louis. Other veterans like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Miles Mikolas are on the trade block and will likely get dealt for the right return (if no-trade clauses are waived).

Of the many players that they have who can conceivably get traded this offseason, none are more intriguing than Ryan Helsley - the team's closer who just won the NL Reliever of the Year Award. Helsley is one of the best closers in the game and is only 30 years old but is also about to enter his final year of club control before hitting free agency following the 2025 campaign, making him an obvious trade candidate.

It makes a lot of sense for the Cardinals to trade Helsley now. But it sounds like John Mozeliak has little interest in doing so, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ($).

"Helsley is one of the Cardinals most appealing trade options for contending teams and could command a strong return, though multiple sources aware of the Cardinals’ planning told the Post-Dispatch the club is inclined to keep Helsley at this point unless overwhelmed."

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It sure sounds like John Mozeliak is going to squander a golden opportunity to get a haul for Ryan Helsley

Trading a player of Helsley's caliber is always tough, but what's the argument for keeping him? Only Mozeliak can really answer that question.

Having a lockdown closer of Helsley's caliber is a tremendous luxury for a team trying to win, but what will it do for the 2025 Cardinals? If they're not trying to win, how many leads will Helsley be asked to protect? How valuable would 30+ saves be on a team that isn't good enough to make the playoffs?

Assuming that the Cardinals are out of postseason contention by the time the trade deadline rolls around, they can still get a lot for him (if he's healthy), but would they get more for him when he only has a couple of months of club control instead of a full season? Possibly, but that's hard to bank on.

Trading Helsley for pennies on the dollar wouldn't be wise, but if teams aren't willing to give the Cardinals a substantial haul for him now, when would they? He was just named the NL Reliever of the Year!

The focus right now should be on retooling for the future. Keeping Helsley in his contract year does not accomplish that. Trading him now before risking watching him walk next offseason is the only smart way to proceed. Hopefully, Mozeliak realizes that sooner rather than later.

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