A Giants-Cardinals trade to give San Francisco a closer, St. Louis a fresh start
By Curt Bishop
The San Francisco Giants appear to be heating up. They are now just one game out in the Wild Card race.
While the St. Louis Cardinals are playing better, chances are that they will be sellers at the trade deadline. Summer is near, and so too is trade season.
One piece in particular from St. Louis' side could be of interest to a lot of teams, especially the Giants. Right-hander and former All-Star closer Ryan Helsley has been one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball this season. The Cardinals fireballer owns a 1.29 ERA in 21 appearances this year. This trade could make sense for both sides. The Athletic's Jim Bowden also lists Helsley as one of the most likely Cardinals players to get traded by the July 30 deadline.
A potential Giants-Cardinals blockbuster for Ryan Helsley
Giants Cardinals blockbuster
The Giants already have a closer in Camilo Doval. But if they want to be a threat to make the postseason, it wouldn't hurt them to have two solid backend relievers, which could give them a real chance in the Wild Card race.
It will be tough to part with left-hander Kyle Harrison, but the Cardinals are going to want a massive haul for Helsley, and Harrison is the best the Giants have to offer. San Francisco will eventually get both Blake Snell and Robbie Ray back, which will bolster a rotation that already has Logan Webb and former Cardinal Jordan Hicks.
As for St. Louis, Harrison will give them a top pitching prospect with years of club control that can help their rotation right away. St. Louis is also likely to trade both Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, per Bowden, so getting a young pitcher for the rotation will be most beneficial.
The Cardinals also aren't exactly churning out elite pitchers at the minor league level, so Harrison could give them a bit of a facelift. Wade also could provide some power from the left side of the plate and possibly even take over at first base should Paul Goldschmidt be traded, which is another very possible scenario since he is in the final year of his contract.
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