Ryan Helsley

The Baltimore Orioles are eyeing the trade market for closers given Craig Kimbrel's struggles, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale.Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jordan Romano of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros are all reportedly potential targets ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.Kimbrel, a 15-year veteran with 425 saves, has already blown three saves and allowed seven earned runs over 15 1/3 innings. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde recently said he plans to stick with Kimbrel in the role.The Orioles signed Kimbrel to a one-year, $13-million deal in the offseason knowing they'd be without star closer F lix Bautista. The latter is expected to miss the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery.Despite pitching for a Cardinals team that's last in the NL Central with a 16-24 record, Helsley is tied for the lead league with 12 saves. He's posted a dominant 1.42 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.Romano has recorded six saves in six attempts for the struggling Blue Jays after starting the season on the injured list with right elbow tightness.Pressly, who saved 90 games from 2021-23, has posted a disappointing 5.65 ERA and 1.74 WHIP for the Astros in a setup role behind free-agent acquisition Josh Hader. In spite of a poor 15-25 start, general manager Dana Brown has called the team "too good" to become sellers.Despite their ninth-inning issues, the Orioles own an AL-best 26-13 record entering Monday night's contest against the Blue Jays. Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.