Former St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley reportedly has 15 teams courting him in free agency, according to a new report from Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Despite Helsley’s late-season struggles last year — a period he referred to as the worst of his career — roughly 15 teams have expressed interest in the 31-year-old right-hander, league sources said. That includes the Detroit Tigers, who view Helsley as a potential starting pitcher. Several teams have discussed multiyear deals, either in a set-up role or as a traditional closer.

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While this is just speculation, it would seem that the Cardinals will not be in the market for a reunion with Helsley, even though he said earlier this offseason that he expected St. Louis to reach out.

Now 31 years old, Helsley was a fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2015 out of Northeastern State University. He spent seven years in St. Louis before getting traded to the Mets at the deadline this past season. He was a two-time All-Star with the Cardinals who led the majors in saves (49) during the 2024 campaign, but he was worse in 2025, going 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA. He registered 21 saves with St. Louis before serving as a leverage reliever for New York, where he had an ERA of 7.20.

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The Mets eventually removed him from leverage situations.

First and foremost, Helsley needs to figure out what motivates him at this point in his career. Each athlete is motivated by something different.

1) If Helsley is motivated by getting the most money, then he may be more inclined to try to make the switch to being a starter, since they are usually paid better.

2) If he’s motivated mostly by winning, perhaps he’d be willing to take a set-up role on a better team.

3) If he wants to be a closer only, then perhaps he will go to a team that isn’t quite as good but has that role available for him.

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4) Is there a spot where the winning and the closer role intersect with good money?

And then lastly, he needs to decide if starting is something he’d want to undertake at this point in his career. He hasn’t served as a starter since 2019.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) celebrates after defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) celebrates after defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Pretty simple. The Cardinals are rebuilding and looking to shed payroll. If Helsley was looking for a one-year deal as a bounce back candidate, it would make sense, but if his market is truly this robust, it just doesn’t fit where they are at organizationally.

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