Helsley said recently that he has not had any discussions with the Cardinals regarding a contract extension, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

While Helsley -- who will be a free agent after this season -- said he would "definitely be open" to talking about a long-term deal, he does not expect those discussions to occur anytime soon. The Cardinals will transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as their president of baseball operations after the season and are not looking to add to their payroll right now, so an extension for their closer isn't at the forefront of their plans. Helsley will make $8.2 million in 2025 and is a good bet to be dealt at the trade deadline.

Helsley appeared to make use of a cutter as part of his arsenal while throwing his first live batting practice of the spring Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley already looks to be fully ramped up in the early stages of the spring; the hard-throwing righty uncorked fastballs clocked at 98 miles per hour for his first three pitches of Thursday's session. He also utilized his curveball and slider as part of his core three-pitch mix and complemented those offerings with a cutter, a pitch he's thrown just six total times during his six-year MLB career, per FanGraphs.com. Helsley will likely continue to experiment with his cutter throughout the spring before determining if he can command the pitch well enough to make it a consistent part of his repertoire heading into the regular season. Whether or not he ultimately expands his arsenal, Hesley shapes up as an upper-tier fantasy closer, coming off a brilliant 2024 season in which he recorded an MLB-leading 49 saves to go with seven wins and excellent ratios (2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 21.1 K-BB%).

Helsley agreed to a one-year, $8.2 million contract with the Cardinals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After leading the majors with 49 saves last season, Helsley has officially earned himself a $4.4 million raise heading into his final year of team control. The 30-year-old reliever also finished 2024 with a 2.04 ERA and 1.10 WHIP alongside a 79:23 K:BB, and he projects as one of the top fantasy closers entering the new year.

The Cardinals are not mulling a move to the rotation for Helsley, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

All 239 appearances for Helsley at the major-league level have come in relief, but he came up through the minors as a starting pitcher. While there has been some speculation the Cardinals might consider giving the 30-year-old another chance to start, it does not appear that is in the plans following Helsley's major-league-leading 49 saves in 2024. They will, however, reportedly entertain trade offers for Helsley, who is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Helsley allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley set the Cardinals' single-season saves record at 49, surpassing Trevor Rosenthal's 48 in 2015. Helsley has posted a 6.2-inning scoreless streak with seven saves since he took a blown save Sept. 3. The closer is at a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 79:23 K:BB through 66.1 innings this season. Helsley's recent workload has been manageable, so it seems likely he'll have an opportunity to go for the 50-save mark if a chance arises in the Cardinals' last two games.

Helsley earned a save a Wednesday, inducing a double play on the only pitch he threw against the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

St. Louis carried a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth frame, but Matthew Liberatore gave up a leadoff homer to Brenton Doyle and issued a one-out walk to Michael Toglia to prompt Helsley's entrance in a save situation. Helsley didn't take long to extinguish Colorado's hope of a comeback, as Sam Hilliard grounded into a game-ending double play on the right-hander's first pitch. The save was Helsley's league-leading 48th of the campaign, and he has an outside chance of reaching 50 with four games remaining on St. Louis' schedule.

Helsley threw a perfect inning and earned a save against Cleveland on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley retired Cleveland's 1-2-3 hitters in order on 11 pitches to close out the 2-1 victory. He moved back ahead of Emmanuel Clase for the solo MLB lead with 47 saves. Helsley has converted five save chances in a row since blowing one in Milwaukee on Sept. 3, and he has not allowed an earned run since Aug. 6. He owns a 2.09 ERA with a 77:23 K:BB through 64.2 innings. Helsley could become the first closer to reach 50 saves since Edwin Diaz in 2018.

Helsley earned a save against the Guardians on Saturday, striking out all three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley had just a one-run lead to work with upon entering in the ninth frame, but he made things look easy by notching three punchouts on 12 pitches. The right-hander continued an excellent season during which he's tied for the major-league lead with 46 saves while posting a 2.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 77:23 K:BB over 63.2 innings. Helsley has really had his strikeout stuff working of late, as he's registered multiple punchouts in five of his past six appearances and has posted a 15:1 K:BB over seven frames during that stretch.

Helsley allowed a hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley is up to 45 saves this season, though he's earned just three of them in September amid the Cardinals' struggles to find leads. He's allowed just one unearned run over his last 14 innings, posting a 19:3 K:BB in that span. The closer has enjoyed an excellent season despite pitching on a middling team, maintaining a 2.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 74:23 K:BB over 62.2 innings.

Helsley struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Helsley retired the side on a tidy eight pitches (five strikes) to earn his 44th save of the season, retaking a share of the major-league lead with Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase. Over his last 14 appearances, Helsley has given up just two runs (one earned) over 15 innings, converting 11 of his 12 save chances in that span. He's pitched to a 2.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 72:23 K:BB through 61.2 innings this season.