As Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline gets closer and closer, Philadelphia Phillies fans are waiting with bated breath to see what the front office can cook up in the next six days. When the deadline passes at 6:00 p.m. ET next Thursday, we want to see some changes to this Phillies roster, specifically in the bullpen.
The Phillies have already been mentioned to be interested in top relievers like Pittsburgh's David Bednar and Dennis Santana, as well as Minnesota's Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. One name that has flown under the Philadelphia trade deadline rumor radar recently is St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, one of the flamethrowing relievers who could have a big impact on the trade deadline, per MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan.
Phillies need to pounce with Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley on his way out at trade deadline
The upstart Cardinals have been teetering on the fence between trade deadline buyer and seller for the last month. But now, despite being just a game and a half out of a National League Wild Card spot, the storied NL Central franchise might be looking to move some expiring contracts. Helsley fits the bill, and after his recent comments to The Athletic's Katie Woo and Will Sammon, it seems all but certain he's on his way out the door (subscription required).
Despite insisting that he wants to remain in St. Louis, the 31-year-old right-hander can see the writing on the wall.
“It’s a little bit different this time,” Helsley said about the Cardinals' deadline, per Woo and Sammon. “The likelihood is probably as great as it’s ever been for me to get traded.”
“I would say it’s 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay.”
Ryan Helsley on possibly getting traded:
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 25, 2025
"I would say it's 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay."
(Via: @KatieJWoo, @WillSammon) pic.twitter.com/2aYYTKP4am
The Phillies, desperate for at least one more high-leverage, back-end-of-the-bullpen arm, need to take his remarks seriously and make an offer. The pending free agent isn't having the stellar season like he had in 2024 when he earned his second career All-Star nod. He has a 3.00 ERA (which would rank second among Phillies relievers with at least 30 innings this year) and a 1.39 WHIP with 41 strikeouts and 14 walks in 36 innings, picking up 21 saves in 26 chances.
Helsley's slider has been dominating this season, holding opposing hitters to a .092 average and .154 slugging percentage. His four-seam fastball still has elite velocity, sitting in the 99th percentile at 99.3 mph. Even if it hasn't been as effective this season, with opponents hitting .406 against it, we all know that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski likes high-velocity bullpen arms. Heck, the Phillies really hung on and tried to make it work with Carlos Hernández this season before finally pulling the plug in early June.
Ryan Helsley's 2Ks in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/zilsCxybu6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2025
If they can devote so much time to someone like Hernández, working out a trade deadline deal with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak for Helsley seems like a no-brainer.
Helsley certainly won't cost as much as other top relievers on the market who have multiple years left on their contracts. Whether the Phillies would be willing to part with prospects for another two-month rental is up for debate. Only time will tell.