Trade Idea Moves Cardinals' Ryan Helsley to Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies' strongest source of struggle this season has been their bullpen, punctuated by blown saves early in the campaign and a lack of efficiency since then. An 80-game suspension for Jose Alvarado, one of the team's most consistent go-to relief pitching options, certainly has not helped things.
Advertisement
Those struggles have not proved to be too costly, though, as the Phillies possess the second-best record in the National League (46-30), which is also the third-best in baseball. Because of this, the Phillies are expected to be buyers ahead of the trade deadline, with relief pitching serving as a high priority for their front office.
Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey sees the Phillies as a team that can contend for some of the top relievers other franchises put on the trading block. He considers the Phillies a potential destination for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, a star player on a team still in the thick of the playoff race.
Dorsey also believes the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees could be strong fits for Helsley.
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
"Since being named the Cardinals' closer in 2022, Ryan Helsley has been the definition of a shutdown closer. The right-hander's 93 saves since then are sixth-most among relievers over that span," Dorsey wrote. "But as with [Emmanuel] Clase, there have been some struggles for the Cardinals' closer this season. Helsley is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA over, but he has a 5.14 ERA over his past seven outings. A big reason for that is hitters' success against his fastball. The pitch is typically unhittable, but batters are hitting .400 against Helsley's four-seamer this season.
Advertisement
"There might be some cause for concern with the Cardinals' closer, but Helsley isn't the first reliever to go through struggles. And with his track record being what it is, a contender might well believe that a few tweaks and a change of scenery could be just what Helsley needs."
Helsely has spent the entirety of his seven-year MLB career with the Cardinals, the team he represented in both the 2022 and 2024 All-Star Games. Across 265 big-league relief appearances, Helsley has pitched to a 31-14 record, 2.73 ERA, and 1.13 WHIP, in addition to punching out 345 batters in 289.2 innings pitched.
Related: Phillies Trade Idea Lands Guardians' All-Star Closer Amid Bullpen Woes
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nationals play the Reds leading series 1-0
Cincinnati Reds (52-49, third in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (40-60, fifth in the NL East) Washington; Tuesday, 6:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Chase Burns (0-1, 6.19 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 25 strikeouts); Nationals: Brad Lord (2-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 56 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Reds -136, Nationals +115; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds, leading the series 1-0. Washington is 40-60 overall and 20-30 in home games. Nationals hitters are batting a collective .246, which ranks eighth in the NL. Cincinnati is 24-27 on the road and 52-49 overall. The Reds have a 44-6 record in games when they out-hit their opponents. Tuesday's game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Nationals hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: James Wood has 21 doubles and 24 home runs while hitting .275 for the Nationals. Brady House is 15 for 39 with three doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. Elly De La Cruz has 18 doubles, three triples and 18 home runs for the Reds. Matt McLain is 12 for 40 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 3-7, .236 batting average, 6.13 ERA, outscored by 24 runs Reds: 6-4, .257 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs INJURIES: Nationals: Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow) Reds: Ian Gibaut: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Wade Miley: 15-Day IL (flexor), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Greene: 15-Day IL (groin), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pirates bring 1-0 series lead over Tigers into game 2
Detroit Tigers (60-41, first in the AL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-61, fifth in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Casey Mize (9-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 77 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 92 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -150, Pirates +126; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Detroit Tigers, leading the series 1-0. Pittsburgh has a 27-24 record at home and a 40-61 record overall. The Pirates have a 28-17 record in games when they record eight or more hits. Detroit is 60-41 overall and 28-23 in road games. The Tigers have a 41-6 record in games when they scored five or more runs. The teams meet Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew McCutchen has 15 doubles, eight home runs and 31 RBIs while hitting .256 for the Pirates. Tommy Pham is 11 for 35 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Gleyber Torres has nine home runs, 54 walks and 45 RBIs while hitting .281 for the Tigers. Colt Keith is 8 for 31 with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .220 batting average, 6.13 ERA, outscored by 33 runs Tigers: 3-7, .209 batting average, 5.48 ERA, outscored by 26 runs INJURIES: Pirates: Chase Shugart: 15-Day IL (knee), Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (back), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Tigers: Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (hip), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 15-Day IL (neck), Kerry Carpenter: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Giants play the Braves after Adames' 4-hit game
San Francisco Giants (52-49, third in the NL West) vs. Atlanta Braves (44-55, fourth in the NL East) Atlanta; Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Landen Roupp (6-6, 3.36 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 89 strikeouts); Braves: Davis Daniel (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, six strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Braves -110, Giants -110; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants take on the Atlanta Braves after Willy Adames had four hits against the Braves on Monday. Atlanta has a 26-24 record in home games and a 44-55 record overall. The Braves have gone 37-19 in games when they record at least eight hits. San Francisco has a 24-29 record in road games and a 52-49 record overall. The Giants have a 26-10 record in games when they out-hit their opponents. The matchup Tuesday is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The Giants hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Marcell Ozuna has 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Braves. Ronald Acuna is 11 for 36 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs over the past 10 games. Rafael Devers leads the Giants with 17 home runs while slugging .456. Adames is 10 for 38 with four home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 5-5, .251 batting average, 5.56 ERA, outscored opponents by one run Giants: 3-7, .232 batting average, 5.52 ERA, outscored by 26 runs INJURIES: Braves: Austin Riley: 10-Day IL (abdomen), Spencer Schwellenbach: 60-Day IL (elbow), Chris Sale: 60-Day IL (rib), AJ Smith-Shawver: 60-Day IL (calf/elbow), Reynaldo Lopez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Joe Jimenez: 60-Day IL (knee) Giants: Erik Miller: 15-Day IL (elbow), Christian Koss: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jerar Encarnacion: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
