What we're hearing about the MLB trade deadline: Ryan Helsley, the Rockies and the relief market
If Ryan Helsley had it his way, he'd be a St. Louis Cardinal for life.
The Cardinals closer is no stranger to trade speculation. Rumors regarding his future have swirled since last October, when the team first announced they'd be taking steps back and focusing on the future. He maintained then, just as he maintains now, that he wants to stay in St. Louis.
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But now, with less than a week remaining before the trade deadline, Helsley understands the writing is on the wall.
'It's a little bit different this time,' Helsley acknowledged. 'The likelihood is probably as great as it's ever been for me to get traded.'
The Cardinals entered play Thursday one game above .500, 9 1/2 games out of the National League Central and 3 1/2 games out of the final NL wild card spot. They stumbled out of the break and went 1-5 on their most recent road trip — which included being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks and dropping two of three games to the dismal Colorado Rockies.
Manager Oli Marmol described Wednesday's game, a 6-0 shutout loss to Colorado, as 'the worst game we've played all season.'
That should signal sell time in St. Louis, but the club has not yet publicly declared whether it will actually do so.. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak acknowledged earlier in the week the standings will ultimately force his deadline decision. The Cardinals rarely sell — they have done so just one time in Mozeliak's nearly two-decade long stint atop the organization. But all signs point towards a soft sell-off in Mozeliak's final season.
'From a front office perspective, I think they saw what they wanted to see,' Helsley said. 'Do you sell, where this is a two or three-year rebuild? Or do you just solely take this as a rebuild year?
'There are so many different scenarios you can do. But I want to stay here. I want to help us win here, with the Cardinals.'
Moving Helsley, who will be a first-time free agent at the end of the season, seems unavoidable. The Cardinals elected to hold on to Helsley coming into the year, a decision that baffled rival executives at the time. Now several of those same executives are speed-dialing Mozeliak, eager to deal for one of baseball's top closers. At least five teams have inquired with varying degrees of interest, league sources said.
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Helsley's value is not nearly as high as it was in the winter. Some of that is to be expected, as an acquiring team would gain just two months of control. But there is also at least some underlying concern regarding how hard he's been hit this season. Helsley owns one of the most powerful fastballs in the sport, but opposing hitters are teeing off on it this year, posting a .415 average and a .538 slugging percentage.
Still, contending teams want firepower, and relief pitching is always coveted this time of year. Helsley and the Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase look to be the top closers available, leaving Helsley counting down the days.
'I would say it's 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay,' Helsley said.
The Colorado Rockies are listening to trade offers for reliever Victor Vodnik, but the asking price is high, league sources said. Similarly, the Rockies would entertain calls on reliever Seth Halvorsen, but would want a big return.
Each pitcher is under club control for a handful of seasons. Vodnik, 25, isn't a free agent until after the 2029 season. Halvorsen, also 25, doesn't reach free agency until after the 2030 season.
In the past, the Rockies have been reluctant to move pitchers with multiple years left before free agency, though they did flip reliever Nick Mears to the Milwaukee Brewers last season for Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera.
If Colorado were to trade any of their relievers with club control, rival teams suggested Jake Bird as the likeliest to go. The Athletic previously reported the Rockies' willingness to listen to offers for Bird.
Vodnik, whose four-seam fastball averages 98.5 mph, has a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings this season with 30 strikeouts and 17 walks. Last year, he racked up 73 2/3 innings posting a a 4.28 ERA with nine saves. Halvorsen, who has nine saves this season, is another hard-thrower with a four-seam fastball averaging 100.1 mph. In 37 2/3 innings, he has a 5.02 ERA with 35 strikeouts against 18 walks.
(Photo of Ryan Helsley: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
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Like the part that says, 'The Framework asks sports bodies to consider the value of inclusion for, and the needs and rights of, trans athletes and athletes with sex variations.' As if. So you either go with the Framework suggestion that decisions be made after employing science, compassion, debate, fairness and all that, or you go with the Trump method, which is to trim the infant's fingernails with a chainsaw. Hold still, you little brat! It all adds to the excitement Trump is injecting into the L.A. Olympics. He has created the image of a city in chaos, overrun by violent mobs held at bay only by heavily armed federal troops. What potential Olympics visitor can't wait to wade into that party? Trump's visa restrictions, and his demonization of former allies like Canada and Mexico, figure to make the whole tourist experience much more interesting. Can you get into America? Can you get out? On the fields of play, more questions. Would Trump interfere with trans athletes from other countries getting visas? Will he try to stop them from competing? Will he have them thrown into an ICE pop-up gator gulag? Trump does not control the IOC. Not yet. But he could threaten to scuttle the L.A. Olympics if the IOC doesn't play by his rules. The charter under which the USOPC operates is not a presidential charter, but a congressional charter. Congress, for instance, created oversight mechanisms to ensure fairness to athletes. Now, though, Trump has seized the wheel from Congress and announced that he will steer this ship by himself. In a way, isn't it much simpler when one person makes all the rules and decisions for all of us? Eliminates so much mindless chatter and red tape. There should be a name for a guy who runs the whole show with unquestionable authority and ruthless, unchecked power. Any ideas, send 'em our way.
