Desperate for pitching, the Baltimore Orioles have secured the services of former St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, boosting their much-maligned bullpen with a two-year deal. Helsley will remain as a closer, and has a one-year opt-out in the deal, according to ESPN.
After two playoff seasons in a row, the Baltimore Orioles fell apart last season, going 75-87 and finishing dead last in the American League East. Pitching was their biggest problem, finishing with a 4.60 earned run average, which ranked No. 26 out of 30 teams.
Adding quality arms in the offseason is a top priority, and it's starting with the signing of former St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, according to ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passen. Helsley agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season
Here's the story from Roundtable baseball writer Teren Kowatsch.
The Orioles dealt with a lot of injuries on their pitching staff all year. Only Tomoyuki Sugano (30) and Dean Kremer (29) made more than 20 starts, and they were the only two who pitched more than 112 innings.
Trevor Rogers was their best pitcher, but he didn't make his debut until late May, going 9-3 in 18 starts with a 1.81 ERA. They used 38 different pitchers all season.
Helsley spent seven season with the Cardinals, and was their closer for the past four seasons. He had a career-high 49 saves in 2024 and was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA.
He made 36 appearance with the Cardinals in 2025, going 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves. He was traded to the New York Mets at the deadline, but struggled there. He pitched in 22 games and was 0-3 with a 7.20 earned run average. Helsley had nine blown saves on the season, second-worst in baseball behind Tanner Scott of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had 10. Keegan Akin had six blown saves for Baltimore.
The Mets were right in the thick of the playoff race when they picked up Helsley at the end of July. But it his 22 appearances, they only won seven of 22 games. They were 62-44 on July 28, but then went 21-35 to close out the season and miss the postseason.
Several teams that were interested in Helsley this offseason wanted to convert him to a starter. The Orioles' plan, though, is to keep him in the bullpen as their closer. Baltimore had eight different pitchers record a save last year.
Felix Bautista had 19 but was lost for the year on July 20 with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He is not expected back until later in the 2026 season. He also missed all of the 2024 season after Tommy John elbow surgery.