ST. LOUIS, MO. – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have agreed to one-year contracts for the 2025 season with relievers Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and John King, thereby avoiding salary arbitration. However, the team did not come to terms with Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, or Andre Pallante before today’s arbitration deadline.
In addition, the Cardinals have claimed left-handed pitcher Bailey Horn off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
Ryan Helsley:
- 2024 Achievements: Helsley set a Cardinals single-season record with 49 saves in 2024. He was named to the National League All-Star Team, 1st Team All-MLB, and received the Trevor Hoffman Award for National League Reliever of the Year.
- Career: Helsley, 30, was a 5th round draft selection by the Cardinals in 2015. He ranks T-6th all-time among Cardinals in career saves with 84. Last season, he led MLB with his 49 saves, converting 92.5% of opportunities, and had a win or save in 56 of the team’s 83 victories.
JoJo Romero:
- 2024 Performance: Romero, 28, appeared in a career-high 65 games last season, posting a 7-3 record with a 3.36 ERA in 59.0 innings pitched. He recorded 30 Holds, becoming only the second Cardinals lefty to achieve this milestone, behind Ray King’s 31 Holds in 2004.
John King:
- 2024 Performance: King, 30, was one of six Cardinals relievers to appear in 50+ games in 2024. He went 3-3 with a career-low 2.85 ERA in 56 games (60.0 IP), recording four or more outs in 17 of his appearances and logging 2.0 IP in six games.
Bailey Horn:
- Background: Horn, who turns 27 on January 15, made his Major League debut in 2024, appearing in 18 games with the Boston Red Sox. The 6’2″, 210-pound left-hander also played 21 games (one start) with Triple-A Worcester, going 3-2 with a 2.15 ERA. A native of Waco, Texas, Horn was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 5th round of the 2020 draft out of Auburn University. He has a career record of 15-12 with a 4.26 ERA over 129 minor league games, striking out 271 batters in 213.1 innings pitched.
