An Orioles-Cardinals trade to give Baltimore new closer, help St. Louis rebuild

The Baltimore Orioles might enter Sunday's action with the best record in the American League, but they have one glaring issue.

They signed Craig Kimbrel to serve as the team's closer with Felix Bautista out for the season, but that experiment is not going well. The right-hander has a 4.11 ERA and has blown two of his last three save opportunities. He's been struggling to even finish innings that he has started.

Kimbrel's struggles have the Orioles thinking about upgrades according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"The Baltimore Orioles privately realize that they are going to have to find closer for the pennant stretch with Craig Kimbrel melting down. They have their eyes on St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano and Astros reliever Ryan Pressly, if their teams become deadline sellers."

Nightengale reports that the Orioles are interested in three high-end closers, including St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley. If the Orioles were to pull off a Helsley deal, here's what it might look like.

A Cardinals-Orioles trade to give Baltimore the closer they need and help St. Louis rebuild

Helsley has established himself as one of the premier relievers in the game as his 1.66 ERA ranks second among qualified relievers since the start of the 2022 campaign. His stuff is among the league's best as he hits triple digits consistently with his fastball along with a wicked slider. He'd be an unbelievable addition for the Orioles, but they'd have to pay up.

This might not seem like too much from Baltimore's point of view as they don't give up a single top-five organizational prospect in this mock trade, but Baltimore's farm system is one of, if not the best in the majors. The No. 6 prospect in their system according to MLB Pipeline might rank a lot higher for most other teams.

In this deal, the Cardinals would get Connor Norby, a player who has put up outstanding numbers in AAA in each of the last two seasons but is simply blocked by the Orioles loaded infield. He's played in the middle infield and both corner outfield spots as well, so the Cardinals can find room for him.

Another piece they'd get is Cade Povich, a pitcher who has a 1.69 ERA in seven AAA starts this season. He's just 24 years old and can be a starting pitcher for the future that the Cardinals desperately need.

Norby and Povich might be a lot to give up for a reliever from an Orioles perspective, but Helsley isn't just some random reliever. He'd immediately step in to close, and he comes with another year of team control. The Orioles have more than enough depth to thrive even without Norby and Povich, and fill a position of need by pulling off this deal.

Trading Helsley would be a tough pill to swallow for Cardinals fans, but they continue to look like one of the worst teams in the National League. If that remains the case by the trade deadline, trading Helsley while they can still get a haul like this makes a lot of sense.