1 positive in all of the mayhem from the NY Mets-Cardinals trade for Ryan Helsley

The first rule of the New York Mets is you don’t talk about Ryan Helsley. They met him at a very strange time in his career. Regarded as one of the best closers in the game for a couple of seasons, he’s experiencing an unprecedented collapse since joining the Mets.

The trade was applauded by just about everyone. New York didn’t give up any of its major prospects in order to acquire what was meant to be the best set up man possible for Edwin Diaz. What could go wrong?

Unusable in practically every situation, to truly feel one way about this trade we’ll need to check in on what the Mets gave up to get him. Has the deal been as one-sided as we fear it can become?

Luckily for us, the Mets prospects given up for Ryan Helsley haven’t done much either

Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Ellisalt was the three-player package sent to St. Louis for Helsley. Baez, the clear headliner, hasn’t suddenly become a star in Peoria. He went into Wednesday batting .245/.308/.340 in just over 100 trips to the plate. The numbers aren’t too far off, just a little worse, than what he did in Brooklyn. Already Rule 5 eligible as of December 2026, his lack of major progress in power, speed, or anything else for that matter should have the Cardinals alarmed. It’s probably one of the reasons why, despite ranking well on most prospect lists, the Mets were willing to send him away for a rental.

Dohm hasn’t done so well since the trade either. Used as a starter with a strict limit on innings, he has logged 5 starts and only 12.1 innings. It’s not all that different from how the Mets used him. However, the results have been worse. He has a 5.11 ERA, 6.6 BB/9, and 9.5 K/9. The walks are about double what he did in the Mets system. The strikeouts are down from the 11.3 per 9 he had in Brooklyn and 10.8 per 9 posted with St. Lucie.

As for Ellisalt, he hasn’t done much either. He has given up 6 earned runs in 7.2 innings. Control has been a problem with 7 walks vs. 4 strikeouts. He had a 3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings with St. Lucie this year, 3.7 BB/9, and 10.1 K/9. In a small sample in Brooklyn, Ellisalt had pitched well, too.

There’s little solace to see three minor leagues did very little when Helsley is losing games or making it more difficult to come from behind. It’s a case of breaking every bone in your body and being glad the table you fell on didn’t snap in half, too. The details of this trade can swing drastically in either direction. The tough part for the Mets is they're running out of time. The Cardinals have nothing but to turn these prospects into quality major leaguers.