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ramfandan wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:45 pm Helsley to Mets trade grade: B+

It hurts to give up any top-ten prospect in the organization, but for a player of Helsley's caliber, it's necessary, and it makes sense to move a guy like Baez. The Mets have better infielders in the organization and at the major league level, and Baez was someone who likely wouldn't see time on the big stage with the Mets anyways. The other minor leaguers involved were not top prospects in the organization.

Adding Helsley gives the Mets what is likely the best bullpen in baseball, and potentially the best bullpen in team history. Despite his struggles, Helsley is an elite pitcher and significantly bolsters the back end of the bullpen. The biggest (and only) red flag is his contract; Helsley is on a one-year deal without any team control beyond the season, making him a rental. As a win-now team, the Mets have to be willing to take that risk to upgrade, and it's not much of a risk they're taking anyways.

ramfandan wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:45 pm Helsley to Mets trade grade: B+

It hurts to give up any top-ten prospect in the organization, but for a player of Helsley's caliber, it's necessary, and it makes sense to move a guy like Baez. The Mets have better infielders in the organization and at the major league level, and Baez was someone who likely wouldn't see time on the big stage with the Mets anyways. The other minor leaguers involved were not top prospects in the organization.

Adding Helsley gives the Mets what is likely the best bullpen in baseball, and potentially the best bullpen in team history. Despite his struggles, Helsley is an elite pitcher and significantly bolsters the back end of the bullpen. The biggest (and only) red flag is his contract; Helsley is on a one-year deal without any team control beyond the season, making him a rental. As a win-now team, the Mets have to be willing to take that risk to upgrade, and it's not much of a risk they're taking anyways.

Lightning Rod wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:49 pm

ramfandan wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:45 pm Helsley to Mets trade grade: B+

It hurts to give up any top-ten prospect in the organization, but for a player of Helsley's caliber, it's necessary, and it makes sense to move a guy like Baez. The Mets have better infielders in the organization and at the major league level, and Baez was someone who likely wouldn't see time on the big stage with the Mets anyways. The other minor leaguers involved were not top prospects in the organization.

Adding Helsley gives the Mets what is likely the best bullpen in baseball, and potentially the best bullpen in team history. Despite his struggles, Helsley is an elite pitcher and significantly bolsters the back end of the bullpen. The biggest (and only) red flag is his contract; Helsley is on a one-year deal without any team control beyond the season, making him a rental. As a win-now team, the Mets have to be willing to take that risk to upgrade, and it's not much of a risk they're taking anyways.

That's encouraging...not!

Mets add another reliever in Cards' Helsley


Mets get:
RHP Ryan Helsley


Cardinals get:
IF Jesus Baez
RHP Nate Dohm
RHP Frank Elissalt

Mets grade: B

Aside from closer Edwin Diaz, the New York Mets' bullpen has scuffled since the beginning of June with a 4.81 ERA, so it's no surprise that David Stearns, president of baseball operations, has been aggressive in adding some much-needed depth, acquiring Tyler Rogers earlier Wednesday from the San Francisco Giants and later two-time All-Star Helsley (after also adding lefty Gregory Soto on Friday). The two right-handers are opposites in stuff, with the side-arming Rogers the softest thrower in the majors with his 83 mph sinker while Helsley lights up the radar gun with a fastball that averages 99.3 mph.

Despite that velocity, that pitch has been hit hard in 2025, as Helsley has allowed a .406 average against it -- the reason he hasn't been quite as dominant as in his All-Star seasons of 2022 and 2024. But his slider has always been his bread-and-butter pitch, and it's still a wipeout offering as batters have hit .092 against it with a 45% whiff rate. After a rough patch in early June when he blew three consecutive save chances, he has looked better of late, giving up only one run over his past 11 appearances. If he's your third righty out of the pen, that's probably a good sign.

Though the high-leverage part of the pen is righty-heavy with Diaz, Rogers, Helsley, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek, the Mets do have two lefties in Soto and Brooks Raley. The important thing to note is they will need all of these guys, as manager Carlos Mendoza has had one of the quickest hooks in the majors with his starters (the Mets are fifth in rotation ERA but 25th in innings pitched). That was part of the problem the past couple of months, as Mendoza rode his key guys too hard. With these additions, they've gone from a bullpen with a great closer and questionable depth to now one of the best pens in the majors. We've seen teams ride their bullpens to October success and Stearns has now put the Mets in position to do that.

Cardinals grade: A-

The St. Louis Cardinals were 8-15 in July entering Wednesday, no doubt changing their thinking from playoff contender to playoff pretender and leading to this trade. Baez is the headline prospect, No. 5 on Kiley McDaniel's list of the top 10 prospects in a deep Mets system. The 20-year-old has played all over the infield -- he's probably headed to third base in the long run -- and is hitting .244/.334/.406 in High-A.

He has plus bat speed and some high-end exit velocity readings, and despite being young for his league, he has kept his strikeout rate in check at just 16%. Though the numbers don't necessarily jump out, his .740 OPS is well above the South Atlantic League average of .672. He's hardly a sure thing, but the upside here makes Baez a nice return for a reliever with an expiring contract.

Dohm is the better of the two pitching prospects, a third-round pick last year out of Mississippi State who has a 2.87 ERA as a starter across two levels of A-ball. He has been handled carefully after his junior season in college was cut short because of a forearm strain, but he's a fastball-heavy pitcher with a good slider. He was up to 99 mph as a reliever for the Bulldogs, so that could be his ultimate destination.

In the end, I think the Cardinals read the trade market correctly: The price for relievers has looked pretty high so far, and while they are only five games out of a wild-card spot, they're trending in the wrong direction, with no real signs that they'll snap out of it. -- Schoenfield

Mort Gage wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:50 pm

ramfandan wrote: ↑30 Jul 2025 19:45 pm Helsley to Mets trade grade: B+

It hurts to give up any top-ten prospect in the organization, but for a player of Helsley's caliber, it's necessary, and it makes sense to move a guy like Baez. The Mets have better infielders in the organization and at the major league level, and Baez was someone who likely wouldn't see time on the big stage with the Mets anyways. The other minor leaguers involved were not top prospects in the organization.

Adding Helsley gives the Mets what is likely the best bullpen in baseball, and potentially the best bullpen in team history. Despite his struggles, Helsley is an elite pitcher and significantly bolsters the back end of the bullpen. The biggest (and only) red flag is his contract; Helsley is on a one-year deal without any team control beyond the season, making him a rental. As a win-now team, the Mets have to be willing to take that risk to upgrade, and it's not much of a risk they're taking anyways.

Thanks. CBS gives both teams an A.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/ryan ... s-promise/