The Toronto Blue Jays are rapt at the prospect of acquiring a talented closer lodged on the Toronto Blue Jays.
Blue Jays eyeing trade for 2x All-Star Ryan Helsley
MLB Trade Rumors’ Nick Deeds relayed multiple reports stating that the Blue Jays have emerged among a short list of teams looking into St. Louis Cardinals star closer Ryan Helsley.
“As the Cardinals eye a reset focused on younger players in 2025, Mark Feinsand, John Denton, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com report that the club has received interest from the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks regarding closer Ryan Helsley. A subsequent report from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 confirms the interest in Helsley on the part of the D-Backs, though Gambadoro adds that the Cardinals do not appear to be interested in dealing their closer,” Deeds wrote.
Helsley would revitalize the Blue Jays’ bullpen
Helsley finished the most games in the National League last season with 62 finishes. He made the most of those opportunities with an MLB-leading 49 saves. The Oklahoma native also struck out 79 batters — his second-highest single-season strikeout tally of his six-year career.
The Blue Jays have a need for an elite closer. Their bullpen notched 36 saves last season, which was fifth-worst in the big leagues. Helsley’s reliability in the clutch would serve as a building block for a franchise looking to put their first losing season since 2019 last time out behind them. He’s coming off of a one-year, $3.8 million deal and is projected to earn $8.1 million in 2025 by Spotrac. Thus, the 30-year-old would be a bargain acquisition that wouldn’t cost Toronto much to relinquish in a potential trade.