Yankees Must Trade For $81 Million All-Star After Luke Weaver Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Yankees’ pitching depth has been tested all year, with names like Will Warren, Ryan Yarbrough and Carlos Carrasco shouldering the impact of injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil.
The bullpen has remained fairly unscathed, with the recent return of Jonathan Loaisiga adding depth and players like JT Brubaker, Fernando Cruz and Jake Cousins ramping up to return from injury.
However, closer Luke Weaver was announced to be going on the injured list with a hamstring strain suffered over the weekend, an injury that could sideline him for several weeks.
In the wake of this, the Yankees know who they need to call.
For quite some time now, the Yankees have been linked to two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals. Helsley has consistently made headlines for his sizzling fastball that has eclipsed 104 miles per hour, and notched 49 saves in 2024, a club record.
Despite being the closer for the surprisingly competitive Cardinals, Helsley could be made available due to his upcoming free agency. St. Louis clearly values their star, who has pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA in four straight seasons, but his price tag could ultimately prove too costly.
The Yankees have the kind of prospect haul to acquire Helsley, who wouldn’t be as expensive as the Athletics’ Mason Miller or Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, for example.
One preseason trade proposal from the Hudson Reporter had the Yankees dealing No. 6 prospect Chase Hampton along with starter Marcus Stroman in exchange for Helsley and starter Miles Mikolas. That was in January, though, and Hampton underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in February.
Where things get spicy is if the Yankees decide to make struggling reliever Devin Williams available in a potential trade, because it would be hard to conceive of the Cardinals willingly freeing up Helsley, who’s been the rock in an otherwise inconsistent bullpen, without getting a reliever in return.
The Yankees could package middle relievers like Mark Leiter Jr (free agent after 2026) and Carrasco, who can pitch decent innings out of the bullpen or in spot starts.
A deal could get done, but the Yankees could find the price tag too expensive given Weaver’s absence is listed as four to six weeks currently.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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