After the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves cruising atop the NL West. However, despite having the best record in the National League on the surface, they seem to be struggling with their bullpen. During the last off-season, they spent $107 million on three relievers. In spite of the massive spend, the Dodgers are yet to find the consistency required to make another postseason push in 2025.

In pursuit of that goal, Ryan Helsley is said to be high on the Dodgers’ trade deadline wishlist. If you ask Helsley, he’d like to be a Cardinal for life — yet, he’s been in the middle of trade rumors for a while now.

Apparently, since last October, the Cardinals have been clear about focusing more on rebuilding. From then on, the word about Helsley’s potential trade has swirled and has been linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he’s always wanted to stay in St. Louis.

But now that the trade deadline is just days away, Helsley sees the inevitable. “It’s a little bit different this time,” he admitted. “The likelihood is probably as great as it’s ever been for me to get traded.” After all, Helsley has always been a trade chip, but it’s different at this 2025 deadline. The odds of his trade have never been this high.

Helsley throws one of the most powerful fastballs in the league. But the thing is, the hitters have recorded a .415 batting average and a .538 slugging percentage.

Still, at this point of the season, the relief pitchers are highly coveted every year. After all, at this make-or-break stretch of the season, the contending teams are all collectively adding reliable arms for the playoffs. And this time, the trade market offers many high-profile closers such as Helsley, Emmanuel Clase, etc.

Helsley is expected to be one of the best closers in the market if the Cardinals decide to let him go. “I would say it’s 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay,” Helsley has added, which is good news for the Dodgers. They invested a lot last offseason but didn’t get any return from the bullpen. To go deep in the playoff run, they need the arms who can help the team in the late innings, and that’s where Helsley fits for the World Series champions.

Moreover, the Cardinals aren’t usually known to be the sellers. “From a front office perspective, I think they saw what they wanted to see,” Helsley said. Helsley also admitted that he would like to stay as a Cardinal and help the team win. However, now that the deadline is days away, he sees the possibility of his trade.

Besides the Dodgers, who else is eyeing Helsley?

So no, it’s not just the Dodgers who would like to add Helsley’s arm to the bullpen; there are more confirmed teams around the league that have shown interest in Ryan Helsley. For example, the Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to the Cardinals’ closer for a while now. Before the Phillies and the Dodgers came into the picture, Helsley had also drawn significant attention from the Blue Jays during the last offseason.

Just like that, it’s highly likely that the Blue Jays wouldn’t mind revisiting their last offseason interest. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ closer is currently earning $8.2 million in his final season of club control. That being a major factor, the Cardinals are confused about whether to trade him now or not.

Across the 2025 season, Helsley has recorded a stunning 3.09 ERA in 35 innings. However, his strikeout rate took a dip for the third consecutive year. It’s currently sitting at 25.5%.

Yet, he has managed to establish his name as one of the best relief pitchers in the league. It’s Helsley, Emmanuel Clase, and David Bednar who are arguably among the elite relievers. These three are expected to be available on the trade market. We will just have to wait and watch.