The Philadelphia Phillies need bullpen help. The Philadelphia Phillies also need outfield help. If only there were a team out there with two players (potentially) on the trade block that could shore up both of those problems. Wait, wait, I'm being told about a team called the "St. Louis Cardinals," who have both a to-shelf reliever, Ryan Helsley, and a reliable outfielder, Brendan Donovan, who might be on the trade block.
Helsley has been rumored as a trade target since the offseason, and a trade for him still seems realistic. As we know, Donovan made his first All-Star Game in 2025, is hitting nearly .300 and can play multiple defensive positions. That's a valuable player, and the Cardinals are treating him as one.
"Donovan is not considered untouchable, and the Cardinals will listen, team sources said. But the asking price is sky-high," according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
So adding one of these guys would take an impressive package — adding both of them will take a monster offer. But the Phillies, who seem intent to buy, and if the front office thinks they're a reliever and outfielder away from a World Series (which I would argue that they are) then sacrificing prospects is well worth it.
Mock trade: Phillies add Brendan Donovan and Ryan Helsley for trio of top prospects
Before Phillies fans get mad at me for trading away the Phillies No. 2 prospect (Miller), No. 6 prospect (Abel) and No. 16 prospect (DeMartini), please consider what you're getting from the Cardinals.
Helsley is the lockdown reliever this team needs, and would probably be the closer in Philadelphia. He's on an expiring deal but would provide two months of the relief pitching the Phils need so badly. And Donovan, who's under team control for at least two more years, is an elite contact hitter, a reliable and versatile defender who would fill the final hole in the Phils outfield with some high-level hitting.
Cardinals could add three promising prospects
This package could very well fall into the category of a "sky high" offer that St. Louis wants. Abel is already an MLB-ready pitcher who's put together some impressive starts in Philadelphia this year, but Miller would be the big name prospect here. He's ranked No. 19 on MLB's Top 100 prospects list and is thought of as a future top-of-the-order bat in the majors, something the Cardinals would be salivating over.
DeMartini is a little further down the Phils list of prospects, but with Nolan Arenado aging out of consistent production, it wouldn't hurt to grab a potential third baseman to slide in once the longtime Cardinals icon moves on.