Apr 25, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry
Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that the Phillies are "already are keeping a close eye on Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley."
Exactly what that entails is unclear, but it's likely the first of many connections that are going to be made between the Phillies and Helsley this summer, particularly given this disastrous start Philadelphia's bullpen has had in 2025.
A few other things should be noted from Nightengale's reporting. First of all, he points out that multiple teams are likely to be in on Helsley, an impending free agent that "will likely be dealt before the trade deadline." Secondly, he adds that "the Phillies are adamant they will not include top prospects Andrew Painter or Aidan Miller in any trade."
The Phillies were — according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic — willing to include Miller in an offer to the Chicago White Sox last summer for LHP Garrett Crochet. However, Crochet is a starting pitcher that at the time had two-and-a-half remaining years of control until free agency. The Phillies also, per Gelb, took Miller off the table when they re-engaged with the White Sox this past offseason on Crochet, who was ultimately traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Miller could make an impact for the Phillies at shortstop and/or third base as soon as 2026. And Painter is likely to make his long-awaited MLB Debut at some point this summer. The Phillies were never going to trade one of the top arms in minor-league baseball.
Closer isn't a position the Phillies have dumped major resources into under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, which is understandable given the volatility of relievers. However, when you don't make long-term investments in relievers, you end up having to take fliers on guys coming off of injuries and/or down years. Sometimes that means you unlock Jeff Hoffman. Other times, you give Jordan Romano $8.5 million after he was non-tendered, and he posts a 13.50 ERA over his first 11 appearances for you.
Ryan Helsley's 3Ks in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/OS9djxBCAP
As things stand now, adding high-leverage relief help is going to have to be priority No. 1 for the Phillies this summer, assuming Dombrowski and company are in a position to be aggressive buyers. And while Helsley has a 3.60 ERA over his first 10 games of 2025, he won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the National League's best reliever a year ago when he posted a 2.04 ERA and recorded 49 saves.
The 30-year-old is is a contract year, and the Cardinals are off to a 12-15 start in what they've acknowledged is a transition season. The fit makes perfect sense. How much better would the bullpen for the Phillies be if José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering were setting up for Helsley?
It will be interesting to see what the asking price on Helsley is. A year ago, maybe you would have considered giving up someone like Justin Crawford for two pennant races with Helsley. You almost certainly aren't going to do that for a rental reliever now, even if it's a piece that could put you over the top. But when you consider that the Phillies had to give up George Klassen and Sam Aldegheri — two of their top-10 prospects at the time — to land Carlos Estévez as a rental last summer, it's going to cost a pretty penny to obtain Helsley for even a few months. Will the Phillies have the appetite to make a move like that?
