MLB Off-season Rumours: Cards gauging interest on pair of arms?
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Cardinals examining market for Matz, Helsley
The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to "field interest" in left-handed starter Steven Matz and closer Ryan Helsley, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Matz and Helsley do not have no-trade clauses like third baseman Nolan Arenado, whose name has also been tossed around in trade rumours this off-season.
Helsley has one year of club control left and Matz is in the final year of a four-year, $44 million deal he inked with the Cards prior to 2022. Helsley's status as one of the best relievers in baseball means he might come with a heavy price tag, but Matz could be more affordable coming off a down season.
Matz made just seven starts in 2024, appearing in 12 games overall, and posted a 5.08 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. Through his three seasons as a Cardinal, Matz is 10-12 with a 4.47 ERA.
Helsley led MLB last season with 49 saves and also finished a league-high 62 games. He had a 2.04 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 66.1 innings with a fastball regularly topping 100 mph.
Edman contract includes deferred money
Deferred money has been a trend for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past few off-seasons and it was no different Friday with Tommy Edman's five-year, $74 million contract extension.
According to ESPN, about one third of the total value of Edman's deal is deferred. This lines up with the Dodgers' signing of Blake Snell earlier this week, which includes about $60 million in deferred payouts on his five-year, $182 million deal, also about one third of the contract like Edman.
As the New York Post notes, this brings L.A.'s total deferred money count to close to $1 billion after the singing of Shohei Ohtani last winter which included about $680 million deferred. Deferrals also exist with the contracts of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez, who is currently a free agent after signing with the Dodgers on a one-year deal last winter.