Orioles Secure Ryan Helsley: Luxury Reinforcement for the Bullpen
The Baltimore Orioles have secured the services of closer Ryan Helsley with a two-year contract, thus continuing the renovation of their pitching staff. Helsley, one of the most sought-after relievers in the free agent market, arrives to strengthen the team’s bullpen.
The agreement, according to sources, amounts to $28 million and includes an opt-out after the first season. Despite interest from several teams in Helsley as a starter, the 31-year-old pitcher chose to remain in the role that made him a two-time All-Star and secures him the ninth inning for the Orioles, maintaining the possibility of returning to the open market after 2026.
Helsley, whose agreement is pending a physical examination, is the second addition to Baltimore’s bullpen this winter. Previously, the team reacquired right-hander Andrew Kittredge, coming from the Cubs.
With a struggling pitching staff, the Orioles finished in last place in the American League East after qualifying for the postseason in consecutive years.
Orioles’ president of baseball operations, Mike Elias, looked to the free agent market for a late-inning option and settled on Helsley, who, over his seven-year career, has a 2.96 ERA in 319.2 innings, with 377 strikeouts, 133 walks, and 105 saves.
One of the low points in Helsley’s career was the last two months of the 2025 season, when, after a trade from St. Louis to the New York Mets, he recorded an ERA of 7.20 and allowed 36 runners in 20 innings. After an All-Star performance for St. Louis in 2024, which included 49 saves, leading the National League, and an ERA of 2.04, Helsley saved 21 games with a solid 3.00 ERA for the Cardinals before being sent to the Mets.
Acquired to bolster New York’s bullpen, led by closer Edwin Díaz, Helsley struggled during his time with the Mets, blowing saves in three consecutive appearances in mid-August and spending most of the last month working in low-pressure situations, as New York crumbled and failed to qualify for the postseason.
Baltimore sees more potential than problems in Helsley’s slump and trusts that his pitch quality, which according to metrics is among the best in the game, will return him to dominance. Helsley possesses one of the fastest pitches in baseball, averaging 99.3 mph in 2025, which placed him in the 99th percentile of all pitchers.
With closer Felix Bautista expected to miss the 2026 seasons after rotator cuff and labrum surgeries in August, the Orioles began the winter with only Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin as veteran options in the bullpen. In addition to Helsley and Kittredge, Baltimore could add another reliever. The Orioles’ need for pitching help is not limited to their bullpen.
Following the trade of Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for left fielder Taylor Ward, Baltimore continues to seek starting pitcher options to join Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish at the top of their rotation.
Helsley, who was a fifth-round pick from Northeastern State in Oklahoma, was a full-time starter in the minor leagues before reaching the Cardinals’ Major League roster. From 2022 to 2024, he was arguably the most valuable reliever in the National League.
