Opinion: Orioles take a risk in signing relief pitcher Ryan Helsley

Ryan Helsley (John Maxmena, Wikimedia Commons)

The Baltimore Orioles have signed relief pitcher Ryan Helsley of Tahlequah, Oklahoma on Saturday according to Matt Sullivan of The Sporting News. The terms of the contract are for two years and $28 million.

The Orioles are the third Major League Baseball franchise Helsley has played for following seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and last season with the New York Mets. In fact, last season Helsley shared his time with the Cardinals and Mets. In 58 games, he had a record of three wins and four losses with an earned run average of 4.50. During 56 innings, Helsley had 21 saves, one hold, and gave up 61 hits, 28 earned runs, eight home runs, and 25 walks, with 63 strikeouts, with a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.54. The hold came in a 12-6 Mets win over the Washington Nationals on September 19.

Last season Helsley was solid with the Cardinals. However, it was a complete and utter disaster with the Mets. With St. Louis, Helsley had 21 saves, and a solid earned run average of 3.00. With the Mets, Helsley had a record of zero wins and three losses, an awful earned run average of 7.20 average, an atrocious WHIP of 1.80, 16 earned runs in 20 innings, and four blown save opportunities without recording a single save. Helsley played a role in the Mets missing the postseason.

With the Cardinals, Helsley’s time was different. He was a two-time All-Star (2022 and 2024), and led the Majors with 49 saves in 2024. Due to the fact Helsley was rocked in his time at the Big Apple, the Orioles recent signing comes with a massive risk.