A Dodgers-Cardinals trade to give L.A. a closer, St. Louis young arms

Ryan Helsley leads all of Major League Baseball with 22 saves. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander is likely to be an All-Star this year. Even after a slightly rocky stretch, he owns a 2.70 ERA and is one of baseball's most dominant relievers.

But with the Cardinals under .500, another sale at the deadline is possible, and if they want a big haul in return, they should be in contact with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers have a ton of pitching prospects in their system and plenty of young arms who have already made an impact at the Major League level that can help St. Louis almost instantly.

A Dodgers-Cardinals trade to give L.A. Ryan Helsley

The Dodgers currently have Evan Phillips as their closer, but adding somebody like Helsley would give them a second option for that ninth inning role and a solid one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen.

The Dodgers are currently 42-27, which is the second-best record in the National League. Meanwhile, St. Louis is 32-34 and they lack pitching depth, even after signing Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn, all of whom have performed well this season.

Grove and Stone are two guys that can plugged into either the rotation or bullpen immediately and can also help the Cardinals get back to their old ways of having the "next man up" approach in the future in case an injury takes place. Grove may need a little bit more seasoning, so he may end up going to Triple-A Memphis. But he's still a solid option to have in case somebody goes down.

It's unclear what will happen with Lynn and Gibson at the deadline. Both are veterans on expiring contracts, and if they are traded, St. Louis could plug Stone and Grove into the rotation immediately.

The Dodgers would be putting all the chips in on a run to the World Series after falling short in the NLDS in back-to-back seasons, while St. Louis would be setting themselves up to have depth in the future and possibly even return to the postseason as early as 2025 if they retool properly, though John Mozeliak's recent track record doesn't inspire much confidence.

If the Dodgers want bullpen help, they should look to St. Louis if the Cardinals decide to sell, and St. Louis would obviously get some of the pitching help that they so desperately need in their system.