The Orioles have their closer.
Baltimore and right-hander Ryan Helsley agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal Saturday with a player option after the 2026 season, a source with direct knowledge of the terms confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. The deal is still pending a physical.
Helsley, 31, was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2022 to 2025, including 2024 when he led MLB with 49 saves and finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting. He struggled following a deadline trade to the New York Mets last season but remained one of the best closers available this winter.
The Tahlequah, Oklahoma, native immediately becomes the Orioles’ top option out of their bullpen after closer Félix Bautista underwent surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder last August. Bautista is expected to miss at least the first half of next season and his ability to handle the role long-term is in question; he sat out all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery as well and never regained his full velocity.
Whether Helsley is the Orioles’ answer at closer beyond 2026 will depend on the opt-out, a result of his second-half struggles with the Mets. Helsley posted a 7.20 ERA in 22 games with New York, working in a set-up role in front of fellow free agent Edwin Díaz. The player option will give him the chance to reestablish himself with Baltimore and test the market again next winter if can return to form.
The Orioles gambled on a veteran closer on a stopgap deal before when they signed Craig Kimbrel ahead of the 2024 season, but Helsley’s recent track record offers much more upside than Kimbrel did in the late stages of his career. Among relievers with at least 100 innings from 2022 to 2024, Helsley ranked third in ERA (1.83), sixth in saves (82), eighth in WHIP (0.95) and eighth in strikeout rate (34.6%).
Helsley remained one of the hardest throwers in the game last season despite his poor showing with New York, ranking among MLB’s 99th percentile with a 99.3 mph average fastball velocity by Statcast’s estimation. Helsley also throws a wipeout slider that opponents hit .140 against in 2025 and mixes in occasional curveballs and cutters.
Helsley is the second reliever Baltimore has acquired on an MLB deal after trading back for right-hander Andrew Kittredge earlier this month. The back end of the bullpen was among president of baseball operations Mike Elias’ biggest priorities this winter, along with a frontline starting pitcher and a right-handed outfielder. He already addressed the latter by acquiring left fielder Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels last week.
“We’re trying to make an external addition there, so working on that right now,” Elias said of the closer role in a video news conference Nov. 21. “I can’t say things with 100% certainty, but we’re making every effort to make external additions to the bullpen and in particular an experienced ninth-inning guy if we can.”
The opt-out aside, Helsley’s $28 million guarantee is the second largest the Orioles have given a player in free agency under Elias behind only Tyler O’Neill’s three-year, $49.5 million deal last year. O’Neill also had a player option after the first season but declined it after hitting .199 with nine home runs in 54 games.
Helsley, Kittredge and Keegan Akin currently fill out the Orioles’ late-inning picture with Yennier Cano, Dietrich Enns, Kade Strowd, Rico Garcia, Colin Selby and Chayce McDermott in the mix for bullpen spots. Baltimore could certainly continue to add relievers in free agency, especially after nontendering Albert Suárez last week.
The deal is the latest move in what’s been an aggressive start to the offseason for Elias. The Orioles went 75-87 and finished fifth in the American League East last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Change has followed, including the installment of new manager Craig Albernaz and reshuffling of some front office personnel.
Now, those changes are taking place on the roster. Ward was the right-handed power hitter the Orioles needed to help anchor their lineup and Helsley changes the entire outlook of their bullpen as a high-leverage reliever capable of covering multiple innings. If starting pitching is next on the list, Elias’ actions thus far suggest every name on the market is a candidate to land in Baltimore before the winter is up.
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