The New York Mets are finalizing a deal on Wednesday to acquire right-handed closer Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for shortstop/third baseman Jesus Baez and right-handers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt, league sources tell Will Sammon of The Athletic. Helsley, 31, has had his hiccups this year and is sporting a 3.00 ERA (3.51 FIP) and 1.39 WHIP in 36 innings pitched, but he still has 21 saves and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. The Mets were not done fortifying their bullpen after overpaying for Giants right-handed submariner Tyler Rogers earlier in the day. Helsley had a league-best 49 saves for the Red Birds as a second-time All-Star in 2023 and will now move to Queens, where his fantasy value is going to take a big hit now that he's going to operate as a late-inning setup man in front of Mets current closer Edwin Diaz.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley has been a hot name ahead of this Thursday's trade deadline. The two-time All-Star is on an expiring deal and could be a legitimate back-end bullpen option for many contending teams. This season, Helsley holds a 3.00 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 41/14 K/BB ratio with 21 saves in 36 games with the Cardinals. There should be plenty of teams in on Helsley, but the Toronto Blue Jays are the most recent team to throw their hat in the race. It's worth noting that the Blue Jays did acquire right-hander Seranthony Dominguez on Tuesday. However, it doesn't appear they're done adding bullpen and could make a splash with Helsley. The 31-year-old is one of the best arms available, so it could be a hefty price for whoever acquires him.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley preserved a shutout to earn save No. 21 in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday. Helsley tossed a scoreless, one-hit ninth inning with two strikeouts for his second save in as many nights. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted seven straight saves since his most recent blown opportunity on June 9, and he has allowed just two runs in his past 12 appearances. Helsley's ERA has fallen to an even 3.00 with 41:14 K:BB over 36 innings. As a proven high-leverage option, he's on many teams' radars leading up to the July 31 deadline. The Cardinals are just 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot, though, so there's a chance they'll keep Helsley for the rest of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley has drawn interest from five or more teams leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic report. The Cardinals improved to 53-51 with a 9-7 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday and haven't publicly declared themselves sellers yet. Nevertheless, Helsley expects to change teams in the next week. "I would say it's 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay," he said. The 31-year-old is due to become a free agent after the season, and if the Cardinals don't expect to re-sign Helsley or issue him a qualifying offer, it would make sense to move him now. Helsley converted his 20th save in 25 chances on Thursday with a scoreless ninth inning in which he allowed one hit and struck out two. The hard-throwing right-hander hasn't been as dominant as he was from 2022-24, but he has still logged a strong 3.09 ERA with 39:14 K:BB over 35 innings.

The St. Louis Cardinals remain undecided whether they will trade closer Ryan Helsley at the deadline. Still, since they don't plan to tender him a qualifying offer, they realize they may have no choice but to move him with at least five contenders showing interest, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. While this is speculation, it certainly makes sense from a baseball perspective. The 31-year-old closer for the Cardinals is having another nice season with 19 saves in 24 opportunities. He owns a 3.18 ERA, with a 9.79 K/9 and a 1.41 WHIP. While the WHIP and batting average against (.254) are a bit high for Helsley based on his career numbers (1.13 WHIP and .199 opponent BA), he is still converting saves and is a sought-after asset for a lot of contenders at the deadline. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on where Helsley lands, as it's possible that his landing spot could change his outlook and impact his opportunities, depending on where he ultimately lands.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is a potential trade candidate as the July 31 deadline approaches, but he's "more likely" to remain with the team through the season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Helsley will be a free agent over the winter, but even if the Cardinals don't re-sign the flamethrowing right-hander, they could get draft compensation back by issuing him a qualifying offer. In the meantime, Helsley could help the Cardinals chase down a playoff spot. They'll enter the second half of the season just 1 1/2 games out of wild-card position. While Helsley has helped the Cardinals' cause to this point, he hasn't been nearly as effective as he was from 2022-24. Over that three-season, 167 2/3-inning span, Helsley put up a lights-out 1.83 ERA with 12.08 K/9, 3.22 BB/9, and 82 saves in 95 chances. The 31-year-old has gone 19-for-24 on saves this season and pitched to a 3.27 ERA with 36:14 K:BB across 33 innings.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley finished off a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, picking up his 19th save. Helsley made things interesting in this one, allowing a walk and a single before getting three straight outs, including a strikeout, to escape the jam. The 30-year-old fireballer has been decent this year, converting 19 of 24 save opportunities and pitching to a 3.27 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 33 IP. There are some worrisome signs, as Helsley has allowed too many baserunners and is striking out fewer batters than in previous seasons. Still, he hasn't been bad enough for the Cardinals to consider taking him out of the closer role, so fantasy owners should roll with him as long as he keeps getting the job done.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season Saturday in a 7-6 game against the Atlanta Braves. Helsley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning in a 6-6 game and surrendered a leadoff single to Nacho Alvarez Jr., who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Alvarez moved to third on a Drake Baldwin single before scoring on a Jurickson Profar groundout. Helsley didn't record any strikeouts or walks during an 11-pitch inning that snapped a modest streak of six straight scoreless appearances. The 30-year-old right-hander is having a decent season, but he hasn't been the lights-out option he was from 2022-24. Across 32 innings, Helsley has pitched to a 3.38 ERA with a mediocre 1.41 WHIP, 35:13 K:BB, and 18 saves in 23 opportunities.

It wasn't clean, but St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley picked up his 18th save of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Nationals. Helsley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He allowed a leadoff walk, got the first two outs on a fly-out and a line-out, allowed a single, and ended the game on a ground-out. The 30-year-old has not been as sharp as he has been in previous seasons, but he has converted 18 of 23 save opportunities with a 3.19 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and a 10.16 K/9 rate in 31 innings of work. The good news is that Helsley has turned in six consecutive scoreless outings with just one walk in those outings.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley finished off an 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday for his 17th save. Helsley made quick work of the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches and striking out Michael Busch to end it. Helsley, who hadn't pitched in a week, has logged five straight scoreless appearances after yielding a run in each of his previous four outings. The 30-year-old owns a solid 3.30 ERA with 35:12 K:BB in 30 innings, though he has blown five saves and posted a mediocre 1.37 WHIP.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley was called upon with a comfortable three-run lead during Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Helsley didn't have any issues as he retired all three batters also recording one strikeout as he notched his 16th save of the season. The 30-year-old continues to be a reliable option as closer, but is at risk of being traded at the deadline. Possibly, a trade would help his value. Regardless, Helsley should be rostered in basically all fantasy formats

It wasn't clean, but St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley picked up his 15th save of the season in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Cubs. Helsley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one. He got the first out on a ground-out, allowed a single, got the second out on a strikeout, allowed another single, and ended the game with a ground-out. The 30-year-old has been uncharacteristically erratic this season, blowing five saves with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a 10.61 K/9 rate in 28 innings of work. The good news is that Helsley doesn't have much competition and has only walked one batter in June, and he has provided fantasy value despite some of his foibles this season.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold writes that St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley (toe) dealt with a toe injury on his right foot earlier this year that required him to wear an insert in his cleat that led to a drop in velocity and a lack of command. The 30-year-old right-hander first dealt with the injury in spring training, although he said he feels great now. It's worth noting after he blew his third straight save in Monday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. In his three outings in June, Helsley has allowed a run each time out on six total hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out five in three innings. The two-time All-Star currently sports a 3.75 ERA and 3.99 FIP with a 1.54 WHIP and 13 saves in 24 innings in 2025 after leading the league with 49 sacks in 2024. The good news is Helsley's velocity is back up, and he's confident he can bounce back after a rough start to the month.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley blew his fifth save of the season in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays. Helsley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one. He got the first out on a pop-out, allowed a game-tying solo homer, got the second out on a strikeout, allowed a double, and ended the inning with another strikeout. The 30-year-old, who was a National League All-Star last season, has already tied his career high in blown saves this season. He has notched 13 saves with a 3.75 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP, a 10.50 K/9 rate, and a 4.50 BB/9 rate in 24 innings of work. His walk rate has been an issue and he has allowed harder contact than in previous seasons, contributing to his bloated WHIP and ERA. The good news for fantasy managers is that Helsley still appears to have a firm grasp on the role, but he will need to start tightening things up.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley picked up his 11th save of the season in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Orioles. Helsley came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on strikeouts, allowed a single, and got the final out by inducing a ground ball. The 30-year-old has put together another solid season overall, converting all but two of his save opportunities with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, a 9.95 K/9 rate, and a 5.21 BB/9 rate in 19 innings of work. Walks have been an issue and his strikeout numbers haven't been quite as high in previous seasons, but Helsley has been a solid fantasy option for the past several seasons. Fantasy managers should give him the opportunity to settle back into his high floor.

St. Louis Cardinals closerRyan Helsley picked up his sixth save of the season on Monday, securing the 6-3 victoryover the Pirates. It wasn't a clean inning, though, as two runners reached base via singles, but a groundout and two strikeouts ended Pittsburgh's threat. With a 3.46 ERA and 1.54 WHIP, the righty hasn't been quite as dominant as lastyear, but is in one of the more stable back-end bullpen situations in the league, which makes him one of the more valuable relieversfor fantasy. However, the 30-year-old also picked up a save on Sunday, so pitchingback-to-back nights may open the door for anotherreliever to pick up a save on Tuesday if the situation arises.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley closed the door on the Mets in Sunday's 6-5 victory in Game 1 of their doubleheader, notching his fifth save of the season in the process. The righty did allow and hit and threw a wild pitch that made things interesting, but New York was unable to push across a run to tie the game. Helsley was the league leader in saves in 2024 with 49, along with a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 21.1 percent K-BB%, but things haven't gone quite so well in 2025. The 30-year-old owns a 3.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and a 5.7 percent K-BB%. It's still early, but the Cardinals may not win as many games as they did last year, leaving fewer save chances, and with good-but-not-great numbers, it doesn't appear Helsley will be as strong a contributor for fantasy as he was last season. That being said, he's still in one of the better situations in the league as the unquestioned closer for his team, and hopefully he can improve his strikeout and walk ratios as the season progresses.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley held on to the Cardinals' 4-1 lead in their series finale win over the Astros on Wednesday to earn his third save of the season. He did issue a walk but stranded Isaac Paredes at first base after retiring Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz to end the game. Helsley hasn't been completely clean with either a walk or a hit allowed in all but one of his seven games. However, he has only given up a run in one of those outings and converted three of his four save opportunities on the season. After getting back to .500 with their win on Wednesday, the Cardinals head to New York for a four-game set with the Mets starting on Thursday night.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley had a blown save on Sunday in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. Helsley entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and allowed two runs on one hit while walking four batters and striking out two. The Cardinals would eventually fall to the Red Sox 5-4 in the 10th inning. The four walks were unlike him, as he had an 8.6 percent walk rate in 2024, and these were the first free passes he has allowed in his four innings of work thus far in 2025. Look for Helsley and the Cardinals to get back on track as they start a series on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Ryan Helsley tossed a shutout inning en route to earning the save on Opening Day in their victory against the Minnesota Twins. Helsley struck out the first two batters he saw before allowing a two-out double to outfielder Harrison Bader. However, Helsley returned to form and struck out Matt Wallner to get the final out. Last season, Helsley was one of the most valuable relief pitchers in fantasy as he tallied 49 saves, the most in the National League. Across 66 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.04 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. He tallied 79 punchouts but held a modest 8.6 percent walk rate. Helsley also generated an elite 3.7 percent barrel rate and a 36,1 percent whiff rate. Even though the Cardinals may not be competing for the NL Central title this season, Helsley should see every save opportunity in St. Louis and remains a must-start option in all formats.