MLB Trade Rumors: Helsley AND Arenado Would Land with Phillies in Proposed Blockbuster Deal

The St. Louis Cardinals are downsizing. And the Philadelphia Phillies, as always, are trying to supersize. With that, a proposed blockbuster trade involving Cards fireballing closer Ryan Helsley and 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado could make sense. At least, according to former MLB GM Jim Bowden.

In a recent article in The Athletic, he proposed the following deal that could meet the needs of both teams.

Philadelphia Phillies Receive:

Ryan Helsley, RP (closer)
Nolan Arenado, 3B

St. Louis Cardinals Receive:

Alec Bohm, 3B
Dante Nori, OF (Phillies #6 prospect)

While this doesn't seem like a huge return for the Cardinals for two extremely notable players, the main goal for the team this winter is to get off big money and get younger. Arenado is owed another $74M over the next three years, so even if they absorb some of that, they'll be saving many millions in replacing him with Bohm, who is five years younger, just became an All-Star in 2024, and is under team control for two more years (he has a projected $8 million salary in arbitration for 2025).

St. Louis would also get a decent prospect, though one who is far away from the majors, in outfielder Dante Nori. He was Philly's 1st round selection (27th overall) in the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft. He spent the season in the Florida State League in A-Ball.

As for the Phils, who are always looking to fortify their bullpen, they would fill that need as well as possible, getting one of the game's top closers in Helsley, as well as landing a 10-time Gold Glover in Arenado to man the hot corner. How could they get these two so cheaply?

For Helsley, he'll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season, so he could be one and done in the Phillies bullpen. And for Arenado, his offense has been on a steep decline over the past couple of years. His OPS+ has been slashed by 33%, from 151 two years ago, to just 101 this past season. His home run totals have been cut by nearly 50% over that same period, from being a regular 30+ HR man to just 16 this past year.

It's an intriguing proposition, but whether this hypothetical deal would ever be consummated remains to be seen.