A Cardinal for a little bit longer, Helsley aiming for another career year

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The final outing of Ryan Helsley¡¯s career year in 2024 -- a scoreless inning on Sept. 27 at San Francisco¡¯s Oracle Park -- will always be memorable for the 30-year-old All-Star closer for a variety of reasons.

On the one hand, Helsley¡¯s night will always hold a special place because his two-strikeout effort over that scoreless inning gave him his 49th save of the year, making him the most prolific reliever in a single season in the storied history of the Cardinals. He broke Trevor Rosenthal¡¯s record of 48 saves that had stood for eight seasons.

The other memorable feeling from that night, however, wasn¡¯t so pleasant for Helsley, the longest-tenured Cardinal after being drafted by the club in 2015.

¡°You know, when the season ended, I really thought for sure it was my last time wearing a Cardinals uniform,¡± said Helsley, who pitched a scoreless inning in St. Louis¡¯ 3-2 loss to Houston on Friday. ¡°It was so weird to think about that.¡±

On the heels of authoring the greatest season by a Cardinals reliever -- quite an accomplishment considering MLB Hall of Famers Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Dennis Eckersley and Cards Hall of Famer Jason Isringhausen closed for the club -- Helsley thought he might be moved in the offseason. His free agency looming after the 2025 season was another factor why Helsley thought he might be playing elsewhere, especially with him expected to command a $100 million contract like the ones signed by Josh Hader and Edwin D¨ªaz. Combine that with St. Louis¡¯ stated intentions to trim payroll, and Helsley thought he was a goner from the only professional franchise he¡¯s ever played for.

However, a funny thing happened. After the Yankees traded for Brewers star closer Devin Williams and the Phillies signed free agent Jordan Romano, the Cardinals made the decision to hang onto one of their greatest homegrown talents of the past decade.

¡°Pretty early in the offseason, I talked to the front office and they said they planned on keeping me unless there was a good offer they couldn't turn down,¡± Helsley said. ¡°So I felt kind of good about it, but also there was still a small chance [of a trade] throughout the offseason. Now after all of that, I¡¯m just excited to be back with the guys.¡±

The mission now for Helsley is to prove he can back up the best year of his career with similar effectiveness. He finished first in MLB in saves (49), save opportunities (53) and save percentage (92.5 percent) and first in the National League in games finished (62). Helsley¡¯s 56 combined wins and saves were the most in Cards history, topping Smith¡¯s 53 in 1991, and they comprised a record-setting 67.5 percent of St. Louis¡¯ 83 total wins. His streak of converting 31 straight save opportunities set another Cardinals record.

In a baseball world of ¡°what have you done for me lately,¡± Helsley will likely need another eye-popping season to prove that he is worthy of a huge free-agent payday.

¡°That¡¯s what this industry asks every time, right?¡± manager Oliver Marmol said. ¡°Once you show that you can do something, the [baseball] world says, ¡®OK, do it again!¡¯ That¡¯s why the big leagues are the big leagues.¡±

Marmol, who managed the Cardinals¡¯ bullpen masterfully in 2024, devised a plan along with pitching coach Dusty Blake last spring that shifted Helsley into a role where he seldom ever pitched more than one inning. Repeating that feat will be more challenging in ¡®25 following the free-agent departure of Andrew Kittredge, who finished second in MLB with 37 holds in ¡®24.

This season, that responsibility will likely fall to JoJo Romero, Matthew Liberatore, Ryan Fernandez and John King. Helsley was quick to credit his bullpen mates for last season¡¯s success, and he admitted that he already misses Kittredge, who signed with the Orioles.

¡°We¡¯re definitely going to miss Kitt. He's a great competitor, great pitcher, a great friend and a great mentor to all of us,¡± Helsley said candidly. ¡°We'll have a few guys this year that are going to have the opportunity to fight for that spot.¡±

In an odd twist, the better Helsley is in 2025, the greater the likelihood that he could be dealt elsewhere before the MLB Trade Deadline. His focus, he said, will remain on improvement instead of looking too far ahead.

¡°Last year, I was able to focus one day at a time, and I just want to carry that mentality over,¡± Helsley said. ¡°I¡¯m really only going to worry about today. It's such a long season, and it's easy to look ahead and maybe kind of get overwhelmed. I just want to be the best me I can be. I just want to enjoy every moment I can.¡±