Though it was expected, the Cardinals' miniature sell-off at the trade deadline did bring the end of an era in the bullpen and, in at least one sense, to the entire organization.
Closer Ryan Helsley was one of the four pitchers traded during deadline week by the team—yielding a less-than impressive return—getting shipped to the New York Mets on July 30.
Helsley, originally a fifth-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015, had just celebrated his one-decade anniversary with the franchise. With him now in the Big Apple, the title of longest-tenured St.