The Baltimore Orioles have made their first meaningful signing of the offseason. Pitching is thought to be the top concern of the Orioles’ front office, and GM Mike Elias has made it clear they are willing to spend money this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan has reported that the Orioles have reached a contract agreement with two-time All-Star reliever Ryan Helsley. The deal is worth two years and $28 million. It is pending a physical and includes an opt-out after the 2026 season.
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Ryan Helsley Signs with the Baltimore Orioles
This is a big signing for the Baltimore Orioles. Helsley has been one of the premier closers in MLB for several years now. With Felix Bautista not set to return until at least August of 2026, the Orioles made it clear they wanted to go out and sign a reliever with past closing experience.
Ryan Helsley was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Mets back in July. He had spent all seven years of his big-league career with the Cardinals up until that point, and was selected to two All-Star teams and racked up 103 saves from 2022-2025. He also led MLB in saves in 2024 with 49.
Joe Sargent/Getty ImagesRyan Helsley’s struggles in a Mets uniform continued Tuesday.
Mike Elias has been aggressive in this early offseason period across the league. Just last week, the Orioles traded for Taylor Ward.
Helsley did regress in 2025, or certainly had a bad season by his normal standards, posting a 4.50 ERA in 56 innings. Part of that regression may have had something to do with being traded to the Mets. After a rocky start to the 2025 season with the Cardinals, he ended up returning to form at the end of his tenure. With St. Louis in 2025, Helsley had 21 saves and a 3.00 ERA in 36 innings, but did not record a save in a Mets uniform, as he was no longer in a closer role.
With the Mets last season, Helsley got rocked, giving up 16 earned runs in 2o innings pitched.
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What Does This Signing Mean for Baltimore’s Pitching Staff?
As mentioned, this signing really improves the Orioles’ pitching staff headed into the 2026 season. Elias has backed up all his promises to this point, but acquiring another starting pitcher is also on the wishlist for the Orioles.
They have a really solid No.1 option in Trevor Rogers, but could use another frontline starter. The trade market is rich with depth pieces and All-Stars, so it will be really interesting to see how active Baltimore remains as the MLB winter meetings approach.
It also gives the Orioles much-needed security in the ninth inning. Regardless of whether Helsley is the same pitcher he was in 2024, the closer position was a big issue for Baltimore a season ago.
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