The St. Louis Cardinals seemingly entered a rebuild to begin the offseason, and that decision will continue to impact decisions down the road.

One of the decisions the Cardinals will need to make is whether they want to trade their closer, Ryan Helsley.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently predicted the Cardinals would cut ties with Helsley in a blockbuster trade this season. Helsley’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Spotrac projects him to sign for $81 million in free agency.

“Helsley is the easy one here: He’s an elite closer in his walk year. He’ll be in high demand if the Cardinals aren’t in it,” Schoenfield wrote.

Trading Helsley makes sense.

The Cardinals likely won’t be competitive by the time the trade deadline rolls around. With Helsley expected to sign for nearly $100 million in free agency, the Cardinals will likely lose him at the end of the season anyway.

Last season, the Miami Marlins landed a huge haul in exchange for Tanner Scott, who was the top reliever on the market. This season, the Cardinals hold the top closer on the market in Helsley.

The Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and almost any contending team make sense as a landing spot for the righty.

The package to acquire him will likely net the Cardinals multiple top prospects. It’s definitely going to be quite the storyline to follow as the season goes on because it’s only a matter of time before a Helsley deal comes to fruition.

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