Ryan Helsley appeared to have finally put his various struggles with injuries behind him in 2022, emerging as the closer of the St. Louis Cardinals and earning an All-Star nod, joining Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Miles Mikolas, and Albert Pujols in Los Angeles.
He saved 19 games in 54 appearances.
However, he finds himself in a bit of frustrating position with the Cardinals.
Back in January, he and the Cardinals were unable to reach an agreement to avoid arbitration, thus setting the stage for a hearing.
Unfortunately for Helsley, he lost his arbitration case.
He had filed for $3 million, while the Cardinals had offered him $2.15 million.
Katie Woo of The Athletic provided the news on Twitter.
Ryan Helsley lost his arbitration case, per a source. This was Helsley’s first arb-eligible season. He will make $2.15 million this season after filing for $3 million.
The #Cardinals have one arb case remaining (Genésis Cabrera). #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) February 16, 2023
The Cardinals now have one arbitration case remaining.
Left-hander Genesis Cabrera will also be attending a hearing.
But this is a frustrating situation for Helsley.
The Cardinals certainly had the money to give the All-Star closer what he wanted.
Unfortunately, it appears to be yet another case of owner Bill DeWitt Jr. not wanting to spend money.
Cardinals fans have certainly voiced their displeasure with DeWitt and the front office over the past several years.
The team was able to reach agreements with players such as Dakota Hudson, Jack Flaherty, and Tyler O’Neill, all three of whom underperformed in 2022 or dealt with various injuries.
This is yet another point of frustration for many Cardinals fans, as Helsley outperformed all three of the players listed, but yet did not get the money he desired.
He’ll look to build off of his success in 2022 with another strong season at the back end of the Cards bullpen.
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