Sep 22, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a few pieces they could look to trade this season in order to continue their rebuild. The name that’s most likely to be traded away is closer Ryan Helsley.

Helsley is one of the best relievers in baseball and he’s on an expiring contract. Spotrac projects Helsley to sign for $81 million in free agency, and that’s likely not a number the Cardinals would give him.

Athlon Sports’ Jon Conahan recently predicted the Cardinals would trade Helsley to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal that would separate Los Angeles even further from the rest of the league.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen has the chance to be very good when it’s at its best,” Conahan wrote. “The issue, however, is that the Dodgers have dealt with injuries, and unless the team makes a few trades over the next few months, there will be some question marks heading into the second half.

“Ryan Helsley could be available, a right-handed closer for the St. Louis Cardinals. Whether the Cardinals decide to move on from him remains to be seen, but there isn’t much of a reason to keep him around unless they want to give him a QO and get a pick in return.”

If the Dodgers can find a way to acquire Helsley, it would be quite a crushing blow to the rest of the league. Los Angeles already has four former closers, Blake Treinen, Kriby Yates, Tanner Scott, and Evan Phillips, at the backend of baseball games.

A trade for Helsley would be quite expensive, but it’s something that the Dodgers could afford. Many might think this is unrealistic, but the Dodgers could pull it off.