With the Cardinals viewing next season as an opportunity to transition to a younger core, various St. Louis players jumped out as logical trade candidates. Ryan Helsley was chief among them, as the hard-throwing righty is one year from free agency. Helsley is one of the best relievers in baseball and would surely get a lot of attention on the trade market.
Nevertheless, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that teams in contact with the Cardinals expect St. Louis to hold their closer into next season. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak supported that notion. “(A trade is) something we will always remain open-minded to, but our plan is to have him be part of our organization,” Mozeliak told Rosenthal. That aligns with reporting from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who wrote last month that the Cards were inclined to keep Helsley unless blown away by the offers.
That stops a little short of taking him off the market entirely. It’s not quite as definitive a declaration as, say, A’s GM David Forst flatly stating they were going to keep designated hitter Brent Rooker last month. Still, it’s notable that the team’s front office leader went on record to downplay the possibility of a trade.
Helsley has had a dominant three-year run at the back of the bullpen. He broke out with a 1.25 earned run average across 64 2/3 innings in 2022. A forearm strain wiped out a few months of his ’23 campaign, but he posted a 2.45 ERA through 36 2/3 frames when able to take the mound. Helsley’s arm held up over a completely healthy season this year. He fired a career-best 66 1/3 innings with a 2.04 mark over 65 appearances.
After beginning his career in a setup role, Helsley proved himself an elite closer this past season. He led the majors with 49 saves while surrendering only four leads. He paced the National League with 62 games finished. Helsley punched out nearly 30% of opposing hitters against a tolerable 8.6% walk rate. Going back to the start of the ’22 season, he carries a 1.83 ERA with a huge 34.6% strikeout percentage through 167 2/3 innings.
That level of production behind a triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider would’ve made Helsley arguably the best reliever on the trade market. (One can debate whether he’s better than Milwaukee closer Devin Williams, who could be dealt before his final season of team control.) MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Helsley for a $6.9MM salary during his final trip through the arbitration process. That’s well below market price for a lockdown closer.
Carrying Helsley into next season would be a frankly puzzling decision. The Cardinals surely feel they’d get a ton of interest at next summer’s deadline, though there’s always the possibility of an early-season injury tanking his trade value. An offseason trade would also keep open the chance for an acquiring team to recoup draft compensation if Helsley walks in free agency. Teams can only make a qualifying offer to players they’ve had on the roster for the whole season. A team that acquires Helsley before Opening Day could make him a QO next winter; one that lands him at the deadline could not.
Qualifying offers for relievers are rare but not unheard of. Raisel Iglesias and Josh Hader declined QOs before their trips to free agency. Edwin Díaz would’ve received a QO had he not re-signed just before hitting the market. A typical Helsley season could put him in that tier. There’s enough volatility with relievers that he certainly wouldn’t be a lock for the QO, but that possibility could hold some value to other teams now and would not exist over the summer.
The Cardinals themselves could make Helsley a qualifying offer if they don’t trade him at all. Speculation about a full teardown has quieted in recent weeks. Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray, both of whom have no-trade clauses, are unlikely to be dealt after expressing their preference to stick around. The Cards are expected to entertain trade possibilities on Nolan Arenado. Beyond that, they could run things back with most of last year’s roster. Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, Andrew Kittredge and Lance Lynn were their free agents of note.
Perhaps the Cardinals feel they can hang in the NL Central mix if they get a few internal improvements. There’s still a decent amount of talent on a roster that finished above .500 at 83-79 this year. Winning the division would be a long shot unless they’re active in free agency, but they seem to be willing to at least see how things play out in the season’s first couple months.
Mo’s last chance to show how much smarter he is than everyone else. I think he’s bluffing to get a better return. I doubt anyone is buying it. It makes the most sense to trade Helsley now.
He’s barely worth more now than he would be in July. Good relievers are always worth a bunch at the trade deadline.
If he’s healthy in July. With Helsley, that’s a big if. He’s healthy now.
He’s not some injury prone player.
At this moment none of the central teams looks all that good. Might as well give the team a chance to compete.
He has only topped 50 innings twice in his career. He’s been plagued by blisters his entire career. Plus, guys who throw 100 mph like Helsley, get hurt more frequently.
They have no chance to win anything next season.
Kudos, to you. While bleed Red, I still believe the Cards could win the division if they wouldn’t trade Arenado, and re-sign Goldy!
I think they can win the division without Arenado.
Trade Arenado to Yankees for 3b prospect Lombard Jr
Sign Yoan Moncada
Trade Matz for salary relief
Sign Max Scherzer
With Moncada and Scherzer you got 2 unlikely but potential stars. That potential would be exciting. Probably be sellers at the deadline but the team would have a shot.
This is the perfect plan if you want to guarantee a 75-win season and set the rebuild back a year or two.
Arenado’s value is down. He’s super expensive. His offense has been declining 2 years in a row. Cards held on to him too long.
One forearm strain over a year ago in an otherwise healthy career is not a “big if.”
While injuries are still always a possibility, by keeping Helsley, the Cardinals are similarly likely to be a surprise contender partly thanks to him.
What rebuild? They’ll be ready to seriously compete again in 2026 or 2027 at the latest either way.
Meanwhile, leaving open a non-negligible chance to sneak into the playoffs next year sounds like a good plan to me.
They don’t need Goldy. They have Contreras and Burleson to play first base (and DH) and are better off allocating the money towards their payroll cuts and maybe some bullpen help.
He also pitched over 47 innings in 2021, and he didn’t estblish himself in the Majors until 2020. (While he did miss some time in 2020, his innings total still prorates to over 33 IP that year). 47+ innings in 3 out of 5 seasons of his established MLB career isn’t a bad track record of health for pitcher who throws over 100 MPH.
The blisters are only ever a minor issue.
OK, he did miss some time in 2020 and 2021, but still a reasonably healthy career.
Arenados value is down from what his 2022 MVP quality season?
He had a 3 win season last year. You said thsts washed up but you were wrong.
The Cards could have got a king’s ransom for him after 2022. Even after his down year in 2023. Now after last season, his value is down because he’s being paid a ton and his bat doesn’t play as much anymore. He’s still an elite defender, but his offensive output doesn’t match what he’s being paid. His value is absolutely down. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. He just won’t return much in a trade unless the Cards are willing to pay some of his salary which seems counterintuitive.
The Phillies have improved every year since the Harper signing and have made the playoffs 3 years in a row after not making it for over a decade. Success isn’t simply judged by a World Series win. They just won the division. They are in win-now mode. Things will be different in a few years when they need to reset or rebuild, but right now you’re comparing a 95 win team with a team that won 83 games last year and 71 the year before. The Cardinals are not in win-now mode.
They are looking to trade Arenado. They could have done it last year and gotten a better return.
But yes. Please keep calling people morons.
What are you even saying? I’m not comparing the Phillies and Cardinals they’re in different positions. 2022 homefield advantage? Yes. And they got spanked. Congratulations. 2022 The Cardinals were correctly in win now mode.
After 2023, the Cardinals should have changed directions. if they cut ties with Arenado and Goldy earlier, They could have been a threat to compete right now. They can compete without Arenado and free up some cap space to make a splash signing. I’m not sitting here bashing the Cardinals. I’m saying they clearly held onto Arenado too long. His value is lower than it was.
The Phillies are washed up. They really messed up not trading away all their players because now they just got a bunch of overpaid losers on their team. Too bad your team isn’t smart.
I didn’t say the Cardinals were washed up. The Phillies won 95 games last year, winning the division and making the playoffs.
We literally had this same conversation last year when I told you the same thing about Goldy. Cardinals didn’t make the playoffs. Was it smart keeping Goldy?
I say the same about Arenado. They should have traded him earlier. They lost some value in a return. This is a team that could easily be a contender by pulling the trigger on a few trades. Don’t take it personally. Chill out.
What kind of trade value do you think Goldschmidt had????
Like I said only 1 team wins it all.
The Cardinals were a contender last year for a while. They have tons of young talent coming. This isn’t some franchise in ruins.
Exactly my point! I never said the franchise was in ruins, and they have a ton of young talent. That’s why it makes sense to have traded Goldy and Arenado earlier. They could have competed without them, free up cap space and a prospect or two.
Trading aging stars doesn’t mean you’re giving up. The Cards finished 10 games back last year. I know you’re saying they competed for a while, but it wasn’t particularly close. They aren’t far though. Trading Goldy and Arenado would have been smart. They’re certainly trying to trade Arenado now. They’re ready to make a run with their young stars. Get rid of the old decling stars.
The Phillies should have traded Wheeler and Harper way back when. Those guys are declining. The Phillies haven’t won anything in over a decade. Clearly the Phillies screwed up not maximizing their value.
Clearly
You aren’t making any sense at all.
If you can’t see the difference between a win-now team and the Cardinals winning 71 and 83 games finishing 10+ back in the division than I can’t help you. I’m not pissing on the Cards here. Things will change. Cardinals ae usually a contender, but I feel the GM has made a few key mistakes lately.
There will come a time when the Phillies need to retool. When that time comes, I hope they do trade their aging stars. Right now? I’m pretty content going for the division and making the playoffs.
It’s no insult to the Cardinals to suggest they held onto aging veterans too long. The smarts GMs know when to trade their pieces. I hope my GM is smart enough. We’ll see in a few years.
What the Phillies have been doing hasn’t worked. They just keep raising payroll. The team didn’t even get out of the first round in 2024 the Phillies are moving backwards. It’s easy to see from the outside looking in.
The Phillies have gotten better every single year dating back until 2018. It is clearly working. They haven’t won the World Series, but they have been in the mix since 2022. I don’t judge teams solely on winning the WS because there’s so much luck and momentum needed in the playoffs. I judge teams on their ability to put out a consistent contender.
For the majority of my life, the Cardinals have been a consistent contender. Currently, they aren’t. I think holding on to Goldy and Arenado too long impeded them a bit. They could be a contender right now. I don’t view them as one, but they aren’t far.
The Phillies are absolutely a contender now. What they’ve been doing has been working, but it won’t work forever. When these stars start declining, the Phillies will fall fast, and I hope their GM is smart enough to trade pieces away to retool.
Wait and see. The Phillies are done they should sell their team off. You heard it here first. When the Phillies fail to win it all again this year I will say i told you so.
Again, I don’t judge success by winning it all. I judge success by being in a position to win it all. Winning 90+ games is a success. Winning the division is a success. Winning the World Series is almost miraculous. That’s how rare it is. The best team rarely win although the Dodgers just did that very thing.
If the Phillies make the playoffs again, I’m thrilled
Anyway, this isn’t even about the Phillies. It’s about the Cardinals. It’s weird that any time somone makes a comment about the Cardinals you try to personally attack them or their team. It makes any kind of civil and logical conversation pointless. Just block me. You keep changing your user name so it’s hard to remember that conversation is impossible with you..
The ONLY thing that matters is championships fella. That’s it.
I have only changed my username once and that was because some loser copied my name and was pretending to be me making stupid comments.
Remember. I told you so……
VPH,
You’re a thoughtful poster, with the patience of a saint.
Moncada? Dude is probably the most fragile baseball player in the history of the game. If your idea of a replacement for Arenado is a guy who might play 60 games best case scenario and hit around .245 then ya he is perfect. You might as well add Eloy Jimenez to your wish list combined you might get half a season from them.
I want upside. You get Moncada and Scherzer and you have upside. If everything goes perfect the team could be a contender. If it doesn’t you sell come July.
What nonsense, you need to stick your head up your black pink area. Harper is underpaid.
He really isn’t being paid “a ton”. His average salary owed by the Cards or receiving team over the remaining three years of his contract is around $17mil/yr.. That’s nowhere near “a ton” level in today’s game.
That’s fair, but it’s too much for an aging player who doesn’t hit well anymore.
Arenado would fit on a win-now team that needs a 3rd baseman, but that’s about it.
Last off season you told me the Cardinals would finish better than the Phillies when I suggested trading Goldy while he had value. So your “I told you sos” are a joke. You have 0 credibility and are completely biased.
Personally I’m not upset with John Mozeliak. He’s been upfront with the public and Cardinals Fans.
(Acquire Low Hanging Fruit players rather than Quality Players during both the Off Season and at all trading Deadlines!).
By being allowed to complete his final year of his contract, John Mozeliak intends to finish his 8 year project of completely tearing down the Historic Cardinals Franchise to be totally non competitive during and after 2025.
The individuals I’m upset with are the Cardinals Owners who have allowed John Mozeliak to remain in the organization long enough for the
St. Louis Cardinals to be in the pitiful shape that they currently are!!!
The Cardinals don’t have another 3b. And they aren’t a lose now team.
The Phillies are a joke. They keep spending more and more money and have NOTHING to show for it.
Last 3 years: 1 NL Crown. 1 NLE Crown. If that’s a joke, sign me up any time.
Again, insult the Phillies all you want. It doesn’t hurt my feelings. I think they’re in a great spot now. If they hold on to these stars for too long it could be terrible, and I’ll be the first one criticizing them. Right now, I’m pretty happy with their front office, but I’ve complained about their inability to develop players for decades on these very forums. That seems to have resolved quite a lot in the last few years with some promising young talent.
Correct
I’d hate to be a GM – it seems everyone remembers your misses but forgets your hits. Everyone remembers Alcantara and Gallen for 2 lackluster years of Marcel Ozuma. They remember Mikolas’ rough 2023-24, but not his All-Star first season. They remember Matz ♂️, but wasn’t the trade for Arenado + cash from the Rockies the heist of the century? I’m not a huge Mo fan – The Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson moves never made sense – but pickups like JoJo Romero, Contreras, and Sonny Gray were solid moves.
He’s been an average GM the last 10 years or so. Definitely good moves definitely bad moves.
What? The Phillies have been an excellent team in recent years.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone making comments more stupid than yours, Blackpink.
Right you are. Fans take good trades for granted but stew over the bad ones. Let’s not forget how great Montgomery worked out for the Cards. They got him for nothing, basically (or a guy they could have gotten back for nothing), he gave them a great year over two seasons, and they flipped him for two promising prospects.
Assuming he is healthy…
I’d like to think you’re right, but what makes the most sense doesn’t seem to be part of Mo’s repertoire.
Mo smarter than… ouch… Anyways as the article stated the Cardinals lowballed this man into his first trip through arbitration while pitching Giovanny as closer just to get that 6 million figure now
Which is why I believe they won’t trade him
Sure, he can save 50 games for a team that might win 75. Or they can move him to a genuine contender and fill holes in the roster.
Agree 100% it makes the most sense to trade him now. It isn’t just about getting the most value, but also managing risk. Closers are a fickle bunch, and pitchers like Helsley are fundamentally more exposed to various injuries than others. Is it worth keeping Helsl.ey until July and risk something like that happening? When you factor in risk, it is absolutely the time to cash in and trade him.
The only reason Mo would not trade him is if they’re expecting us to compete. Some people here have lavish plans of signing free agents and believing we’re secret contenders. It is possible we are able to compete in the division, and of course my preference would be to see the Cards in the playoffs again, but I also want to see them build for the next era.
The market is loaded with quality relievers. What deal is out there the Cardinals would be crazy to pass up? I don’t think he has some tremendous amount of trade value. What do you think he’s worth???? All these people suggesting trade him not one single person mentions what for.
Any deal that provides a good return is crazy to pass up. He isn’t coming back. It doesn’t matter what the deal is for, as long as there is a positive projected return. UNLESS, the front office believes we are actually going to be competing, but they don’t want to say that since they would have to commit to some improvements in FA.
We are either committing to a rebuild, or we are not. Which is it?
There is no rebuild. Nobody said that except the people who run this site and they are Cubs fans. Nobody ever used the words rebuild. Nobody.
This is clearly causing a flare up for you. You don’t have to respond to every comment on this post. If you don’t think we’re in a rebuilding phase then you don’t understand baseball and aren’t worth engaging with.
There is no rebuild. Perhaps you want there to be and you are mad about that. That seems to be the problem.
The only gm dumber than Hoyer. It makes for a special NL Central of crap.
Exactly.. what is Helsley going to close out next year? This plan would only reduce his stock given he will have less opportunities. If this is true, this is MOs last attempt to ruin the teams near future.
What magical prospect are the Cardinals missing out on by not trading him????
Not one person has suggested what they could get for Helsley. Not one.
What is the front office doing? His trade value will never be higher, and I don’t see him sticking around after next year. I love Helsley, but RP come and go so frequently, and trading one at the peak of their value seems like a no brainer. Especially for a team that plans to scale back this year.
They can still trade him in July. Or if he stays with the Cardinals past 2025 on any kind of a discount then that has value too.
At least this means he won’t be the dodgers closer
Been saying this for a while now. If the team is out of it at the deadline sure I think he could be dealt but might as well wait until then and give the team a shot.
“Been saying this for a while now. If the team is out of it at the deadline sure I think he could be dealt but might as well wait until then and give the team a shot.”
I’m not sure if he’ll be as valuable at trade deadline as he is now, but I agree that the division is wide open and the any team could win it (even a team that is supposedly rebuilding) Having a great closer certainly would increase the Cardinal’s chances.
I think his value will be less but not all that less and it’s worth giving the team a chance. The team can still trade him in July if they need to. Could also keep him and give him a qualifying offer and get a draft pick back if he leaves.
They are not going to offer a QO to him. The QO was $21M this offseason. That’s more than the AAV of Diaz or Hader.
They would. It’s not all about aav. The QO is only one year. Im sure he would take 3/50 or 4/65 over a 1/21 offer.
I’m sure he would prefer the multi yr deal. And no it’s not all about AAV. But unlike starting pitchers, the QO is very high for relief pitchers and current QO is more than any closer makes.
yeah but they risk him having a worse year and/or getting hurt. it would be really difficult for him to match the numbers he put up this year, even if he only regresses a bit
just seems like a lot of unnecessary risk to *maybe* get the same kind of return in 6-7 months. It is extremely unlikely the Cards are serious playoff candidates next year, even though the NLC should be anyone’s for the taking if they just opted to spend on FAs
Wake Up!! The Cardinals are not competing for anything and MLB as a whole is broken…..Spend big or stay home!! Baseball sucks to watch anymore if you can even get your team on tv.
Any player worth anything goes to one of about 4 teams, why even bother watching this game anymore…
No downside to saying this. It at least has a chance of driving Helsley’s price up and signaling to fans to buy season tickets. I’m skeptical, but **shrug**
I’d like to meet the person who buys season tickets because Ryan Helsley is on their team.
Other than Helsley’s mom, you are probably right. Nevertheless, his value is a consideration in season ticket sales.
Just an “fyi”, I did some work for the Brewers before the pandemic to see if predicted WAR was a better predictor of season ticket sales than the W/L record of the previous year. The result is WAR is a good predictor for your top eight position player, 5 starters, and a closer. That’s why a team like the Cubs would see season ticket sales spike if they opened the checkbook for Soto or Corbin Burnes.
If he’s projected to make $6.9M and that’s far below average closer numbers, why is arbitration so far off? Is it just a salary suppression device?
Yes, that’s exactly what it is.
Very broadly, arbitration pays about 40% of market value in year 1, 60% in year 2, and 80% in year 3.
For closers, if they don’t have full years of saves throughout their careers, they’ll be underpaid relative to those percentages throughout arbitration.
They’d be paying even less if there was no arbitration. Arbitration and free agency are the twin engines that have fueled player salary increases over the years.
I’m not advocating for the following, but suggesting what Moe might be thinking in regards to Helsley and his future with the Cardinals.
1) Excellent closers are rare. He’s nearly in a class by his own right now. He is the BEST in the N.L.
2) Ryan Helsley is a lifelong Cardinals fan AND WANTS TO STAY WITH THE TEAM.
3) Moe and Chaim can lock him down (w/ hometown discount) for the future with a 5-year, $75M contract extension, meaning 6 more years as the Cards’ closer.
4) Trading Helsley for prospects is a hit or miss 50/50 gamble that could easily end up going nowhere, like the ’23 deadline moves. Cards don’t need more Triple A fodder.
5) Bill DeWitt Jr and BDW3 want Ryan Helsley in a red jacket. Closer is an important position and maybe both the DeWitt’s and Bloom want it locked down for the future.
Thank you for listening.
Smart thoughts
Agree wholeheartedly. A Helsley extension makes plenty of sense. The team does not see themselves as being in need of a total rebuild. The position player core is quality, but still needs some seasoning. Good position player prospects are on the way and are likely to graduate soon (Wetherholt/Davis). There are some bright pitching prospects who need to graduate (McGreevy/Matthews/Hence/Robberse). They have the influx of cash from the tv deal (not as much as they wanted, but better than nothing). The division still sucks and the Cubs appear allergic to actually flexing their financial muscles. There’s simply no reason for a team like StL to fully tear down like many expected or called for.
Missing an opportunity here if he’s serious. Value is high, may not get higher unless he absolutely kills it to the all-star break and a team is desperate. I’d love to see the Orioles send Mountcastle and a prospect or two over for him and another reliever or Libertore.
They would extend him if they didn’t want to trade him. This is a ploy to drive up the price.
Dear Mo,
I’ll take on Nolan’s full contract for a lesser prospect package for Ryan. We good?
Your pal,
Brian C
Brian,
Seeing as cutting Arenado’s salary is not a necessity for us, we’d be better off just keeping both players.
Sincerely,
Mo
That’s just it: Helsley is still young and relatively inexpensive, so keeping him doesn’t go against any of the Cardinals’ stated goals. They don’t need to trade Helsley just because he has maximum value right now and will be a free agent next year (if not extended).
Yes, Helsley could tank his value with a major injury, but it’s about as likely (albeit overall unlikely) that Helsley helps the Cardinals snatch a surprise playoff spot in a weak division. Just because the Cardinals are taking a step back does not mean they are rebuilding or fully giving up on contention next year.
This. The team said they wanted to be competitive with their young players and then everyone predicted a tanking approach to the offseason. Fans are want that trigger pulled wayyy too quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hammered out an extension tbh.
What have they lost that would indicate they will be worse in 2025? Kittredge maybe, everything else can be replaced from within. A few dollars here and there and 90 wins is possible.
Well, the rotation isn’t as deep as it was last year with Gibson and Lynn. They still have Gray and Fedde as a good #1 and #2 combo, but the depth is questionable behind them. Pallante has only a short track record as a starter, although he would make a decent #3 if he can repeat what he did last year. McGreevey looks like a keeper, but his track record is even shorter than Pallante’s.
The #5 spot is wide open at this point, and it’s doubtful it will be filled in free agency. Matz probably has the inside edge if he’s healthy and not traded, but they can’t rely on either him or Mikolas anymore. Thompson is still there but running out of chances, and the rest of the prospects don’t seem to be ready quite yet.
Still, I agree that 90 wins is possible with enough luck and internal improvements.
I agree with all of this. Lower floor and higher ceiling.
If Fedde and Pallante repeat their performances then this rotation looks very solid. It seems reasonable to think that Gray could have a better year than he did in ’24 as well now that he’s more settled in.
After that, hoping for some combination of McGreevy/Matthews/Hence/Robberse to land is reasonable given the pedigree in that group.
Personally, I would trade Matz and stick Mikolas in a swingman role in the bullpen. Cut him if he doesn’t do well. At that point I might sign Cal Quantrill to be a cheap #4. Cut Quantrill if he performs poorly, trade him if he does well and you’re out of the race. Or, work a two year deal for Sandoval while he recovers, or see if you can turn Canning into something useful in a better environment.
In either case, it locks up a rotation spot so you aren’t so immediately reliant upon the prospect group to fill 2/5ths of the rotation starting on Opening Day while also (in the case of Sandoval or Canning) provides some potential certainty going into 2026 where the only returners right now are Gray and Pallante.
They should at least wait till the trade deadline before considering trading Helsley, how bad would have last season have been without his 49 saves?
i think the front office and owners have their heads up their Ass.
Here I am, stuck in the middle.
Yep, Cards once again, playing the half-ass game and going nowhere for it.
The Cardinals said they weren’t rebuilding, were planning to be competitive (in a weak division, mind you), Mo said via Derrick Goold that they were hoping to trade for a tentpole-type hitter, and then everyone expected them to trade all of their established players? This was even more implausible when Contreras and Gray indicated they would not entertain being traded via their NTC’s. I’ve seen people bandy about trades of Donovan, Nootbaar, and Helsley…none of this makes sense given what the team has said.
I think they will attempt a trade for Luis Robert Jr. They will look at it like this: He’s an elite hitter when healthy, he plays an elite CF (a position of org weakness), and is controllable at a relatively affordable rate for the next three seasons. He’s also right-handed.
I expect Matz to be traded, and reports indicate they are trying to do so. A Fedde trade *might happen, but even that’s not a slam dunk. The rotation is essentially set and competitive within their division right now:
1. Gray
2. Fedde
3. Pallante
4. Mikolas
5. McGreevy/Matthews
Mikolas is horrible at this stage, but they just have to ride the deal out. It is what it is.