It took until February, but the St. Louis Cardinals are officially on the board with their first transaction of the MLB off-season. And not a moment too soon!
Thursday afternoon, the Cardinals announced the acquisition of utility man Michael Helman from the Minnesota Twins. In the deal, the Redbirds gave up cash considerations—see, who says the Cardinals are afraid to spend!
The Helman move presents as a relatively minor addition, but even peripheral roster maneuvering was a reluctant endeavor for the Cardinals prior to this trade, so we’ll take what we get. At least it’s something tangible to talk about.
We have acquired INF/OF Michael Helman from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for cash considerations.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) February 6, 2025
Our 40-player roster now stands at 40. pic.twitter.com/w88ZnhZ79u
Helman’s modest big-league resume (10 at-bats with the Twins in 2024) is liable to see more bullet points this coming season as the 28-year-old profiles as a worthy bench piece for a roster that would benefit from his flexibility.
The Lincoln, Nebraska native logged a respectable .838 OPS in Triple-A St. Paul last season while appearing at six different defensive positions—most notably filling 264.0 innings at shortstop.
After the Cardinals spent a season with the shell of Brandon Crawford serving in a backup capacity behind Masyn Winn, Helman is a candidate for a more useful version of that bench role.
While it remains to be seen the extent to which the club finds comfort in his ability to fill in at short at the MLB level, the right-handed hitting Helman at least should push Jose Fermin for a bench spot—a riveting battle that will unfold throughout the Grapefruit League slate in Florida this spring.
Though the Helman acquisition could be viewed as an impediment for Thomas Saggese’s opportunity to crack the Opening Day roster, it stands to reason that the Cardinals weren’t going to devote a roster spot to Saggese unless they could envision consistent playing time for the prospect at the big-league level.
If Nado is still on the team, I see why it would make sense to start Saggese in Memphis, which then having someone like Helman who can play short and center is helpful. Also it only took cash. I’m not going to act like it’s a game changer but I don’t see the harm.
— Josh Jacobs (@joshjaco98) February 6, 2025
Shortstop reps in spring will be worth monitoring for Saggese, too, but backing up Masyn Winn a couple times per month isn’t a role suitable to Saggese’s development. Short of an injury to another infielder, it’s hard to envision Saggese playing his way into an everyday role above Nolan Gorman considering the team’s motivation to spend 2025 seeing whether Gorman will sink or swim in an everyday role.
A Nolan Arenado trade could help Saggese’s case to make the team, but the Cardinals taking the time to add Helman could signal that the team values everyday at-bats for Saggese—while Helman is considered a lower-upside player who could be housed on the Major League bench for weeks at a time with only sporadic chances to play.
Though not a guarantee to make the club, Michael Helman could fit into a niche role off the bench—one that Thomas Saggese is overqualified to fill.