The bullpen arms race is on in the National League East. New York kicked off the day by trading for Giants reliever Tyler Rogers. Then, shortly after news dropped that the Philadelphia Phillies had traded for Jhoan Duran, and now the Mets have acquired St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Let’s dig into the trade with a breakdown of Helsley and who the Cardinals get from the Mets in return.
Helsley, 30, has pitched a 3.00 ERA in 36 games for the Cardinals this year. The flamethrowing right-hander is a two-time All-Star, including last year, when he led the MLB with 49 saves. Helsley averages 99.3 MPH on his fastball, balancing it with a hard slider. He gives the Mets another excellent right-hander at the back of the bullpen alongside Edwin Díaz and new acquisition Tyler Rogers.
The Return
The Cardinals got a trio of prospects in return. The top prospect is Jesus Baez, a shortstop/third base prospect currently playing at the High-A level of the minors. He’s batting .242 at that level with 10 home runs and seven stolen bases. MLB.com ranks him as the eighth-highest prospect in New York’s farm system.
Next up is right-handed pitcher Nate Dohm. The 14th-ranked prospect in the system, Dohm was a third-round pick in the 2024 draft. He’s also playing at High-A and has made 17 starts this season, pitching a 2.87 ERA. The 22-year-old has struck out 77 batters over 62 innings pitched.
They nabbed a third High-A player in Frank Elissalt as well. The 23-year-old was also a 2024 draft pick, selected in the 19th round. He’s made seven starts and 13 relief appearances for the Cyclones, pitching a 3.04 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 56.1 innings. A true lottery ticket for St. Louis, they’ll be counting on their pitching development system to move him through the ranks.
Mets GM David Stearns is absolutely going for it, and New York may not be done at the deadline. Stay tuned for more updates.
