The New York Yankees and New York Mets arguably had the two best deadlines in Major League Baseball, right up there with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners. For the Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals helped them out in that regard.
The Mets landed former Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley in a deal prior to the deadline, a move that made sense for both sides. Not only will Helsley have an opportunity to compete for a World Series now, but the Cardinals were able to get some decent prospects in return, with Jesus Baez as the headliner.
However, according to a recent report from Andy Martino of SNY, the Yankees were interested in trading for Helsley. Martino noted that the Yankees attempted to trade for the right-hander, but the Cardinals were looking for Spencer Jones, Ben Rice, or Jasson Dominguez.
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“They tried for Ryan Helsley and would have had to give up at least one of those top top guys,” he posted on X.
The Yankees didn't have much of a reason to move on from any of those three players for a reliever, as they made out well for themselves by landing Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and David Bednar.
However, adding Halsey to the mix would’ve been game-breaking, perhaps giving the Yankees the best bullpen Major League Baseball has ever seen.
Ultimately, they still did pretty well for themselves, and the Cardinals did, too, in that regard.
It's impressive that the front office did what they had to do for once, and instead of sending him to a place maybe he wanted to play a bit more, they sent him to where they got the best package in return. The Mets had that.