Orioles and closer Ryan Helsley agree to 2 years, $28M, sources
The Orioles continue to rebuild their pitching staff, their weakest point in the 2025 season, with the hiring of closer Ryan Helsley.
Closer Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal, which includes a buyout clause after the first season, sources told AM850. This continues the restructuring of Baltimore’s beleaguered pitching staff with one of the most coveted relievers on the free agent market.
While several teams sought to sign Helsley as a starter, the 31-year-old right-hander opted to remain in the role that made him a two-time All-Star and will pitch the ninth inning for the Orioles, retaining the possibility of hitting the free market after 2026.
Helsley, whose contract is pending a physical, is the second bullpen addition of the winter for Baltimore, which reacquired right-hander Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs after trading him to Chicago at the trade deadline. With a moribund pitching staff, the Orioles went 75-87 and finished in last place in the American League East after consecutive postseason qualifications.
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias searched the free agent market for a late-inning option and settled on Helsley, who over his seven-year career has had a 2.96 ERA in 319⅔ innings, with 377 strikeouts, 133 walks and 105 saves.
Among Helsley’s lowest points were the final two months of his 2025 season, when, following a deal from St. Louis to the New York Mets at the deadline, he posted a 7.20 ERA and allowed 36 runners on base in 20 innings. Coming off an All-Star performance with St. Louis in 2024 that included an NL-leading 49 saves and a 2.04 ERA, Helsley saved 21 games with a solid 3.00 ERA for the Cardinals before the deadline, when he was traded to the Mets for three prospects.
Acquired to reinforce New York’s bullpen, anchored by free agent closer Edwin Díaz, Helsley had serious difficulties during his time with the Mets. He blew saves in three straight appearances in mid-August and spent most of the last month working in low-impact situations as New York slumped down the stretch and missed the postseason.
Baltimore saw more noise than signs in Helsley’s slump and is confident that his repertoire, whose pitching quality ranks among the best in baseball, will return him to his dominance. Helsley uses one of the most powerful fastballs in baseball, averaging 99.3 mph in 2025, according to Statcast, ranking in the 99th percentile of all pitchers.
With starting closer Felix Bautista expected to miss the 2026 season following rotator cuff and labrum surgeries in August, the Orioles entered the winter with only right-hander Yennier Cano and left-hander Keegan Akin as veteran bullpen options. In addition to Helsley and Kittredge, Baltimore could add another reliever, according to sources. The Orioles’ need to strengthen their pitching 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 look for starting pitching options to join left-hander Trevor Rogers and right-hander Kyle Bradish at the top of its rotation, according to sources.
Selected in the fifth round of the draft by Northeastern State out of Oklahoma, Helsley was a full-time starter in the minor leagues until he joined the Cardinals’ major league roster. From 2022 to 2024, he was arguably the most valuable reliever in the National League, along with right-hander Devin Williams, a free agent with whom the Orioles also spoke.
AM850’s Bradford Doolittle contributed to this report.
