Phillies Eye Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley to Fix Bullpen Struggles

The Philadelphia Phillies are in need of some help for their struggling bullpen and could already be keeping an eye on an arm to add ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

On Sunday night, right-hander Jordan Romano did come in and get his second save of the season against the Cubs with a clean 10th inning, throwing 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes, but that might be something to build on moving forward. Even with that clean inning, Romano still has a 12.19 ERA on the season.

Ryan Helsley on Phillies' Radar

According to USA Today MLB writer Bob Nightengale, the Phillies are among the teams that are 'keeping a close eye' on Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.

Phillies Bullpen Struggles in 2025

The Phillies have one of the worst bullpens in baseball through the first month of the season, with Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm the only two reliable arms so far. Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano have been disappointing and no other bullpen arm has emerged from a group that includes Joe Ross, Jose Ruiz, Carlos Hernandez and Tyler Banks.

Internal Bullpen Option: Seth Johnson

One name to keep an eye on at Triple-A is right-hander Seth Johnson, who was moved to a bullpen role at Triple-A, touching 98 mph with his fastball in his recent bullpen appearance.

Johnson made his MLB debut with the Phillies last year after coming over in a trade from Baltimore, giving up nine runs over 2.1 innings.

Who do you think the Phillies should target at the trade deadline? Is a bullpen arm the top priority? Let us know in the comments!