FILE – New York Mets pitcher Ryan Helsley throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game Sept. 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
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The Baltimore Orioles fortified the back end of their bullpen by signing Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million free agent contract. The deal includes a player option for that second season in 2027, so Helsley can move on if he feels he is worth more on the open market.
From the O’s perspective, Helsley, 31, steps in for Felix Bautista, who is expected to miss most of the 2025 season after undergoing shoulder surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff.
The player, and the cost, seem to be reasonable from a market perspective. I view Helsley as an average to somewhat above average closer. He misses a solid if not overwhelming number of bats for a closer, has sound command, and can carry a heavier workload than most closers. He was pretty brutal after a late-season trade from the Cardinals to the Mets last season, but I’m willing to write that off as a small sample size blip at this point. His stuff was still pretty good at season’s end, featuring a fastball with an average velocity of 99.3 mph.
All of that said, the Orioles certainly would seem to have much higher offseason priorities than filling the void at closer. Their starting rotation is a disaster area.
They only had one starting pitcher who logged enough innings to qualify for the ERA title in 2025, and that was the eminently average Dean Kremer. Behind him, their most frequently used starters included the ultra-hittable Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich and the ancient, since-traded Charlie Morton. Trevor Rogers, acquired from the Marlins in 2024, was an absolute revelation, posting a stellar 1.81 ERA in 109 2/3 innings, and Kyle Bradish notched six superb starts (47/10 K/BB in 32 innings) after his return from Tommy John surgery. If the Orioles squint really hard they might see a viable top of the rotation in those two guys.
Beyond that? Who knows? High upside righty Grayson Rodriguez, a perennial injury risk, was dispatched to the Angels for one year of LF Taylor Ward. Sure, the O’s know Rodriguez better than anyone and have the best feel for his health status, but that deal just doesn’t add up to me taking the club’s roster construction into account.
Righty Zach Eflin was limited to 71 1/3 innings by injury in 2025, and is now a free agent. The club could opt to try to bring him back on an incentive-laden deal.
By now you might be concluding that this isn’t a championship-level pitching staff, and you’d be right. And the AL East just might be MLB’s deepest division, possessing high caliber Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox offenses. At this point in the offseason, the O’s lack both high end rotation quality and innings bulk.
This isn’t the greatest year to be hunting for starting pitching in the free agent market. The Jays have already struck, adding Dylan Cease to their rotation. The next tier of free agent starters would seem to include the Astros’ Framber Valdez, Phillies’ Ranger Suarez, Padres’ Michael King and Japanese import Tatsuya Imai. The O’s would seem to need to add at least one of those guys, and they won’t come cheap.
It would be fair to observe at this point that the Orioles, who not long ago appeared to be one of the most promising young teams in the game, seemed set for a long run as playoff contenders. They’ve gotten off that track, and it hasn’t just been the pitching.
To a man, their youthful, high-upside position player group have had developmental setbacks at the major league level. Star SS Gunnar Henderson has had the best ride, and even he endured a bit of a power dropoff in 2025. C Adley Rutschman just doesn’t seem to be the same guy physically as he was a couple years ago, when he was considered one of the most valuable properties in the game. Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser have all shown flashes, but none look like stars, and only Westburg seems assured a starting job this season of the three. New manager Craig Albernaz was hired largely for his player development chops, and he will be tested early.
The Helsley move would seem to indicate that the O’s expect to contend right away, but obviously much more help is needed. It’s a fair contract with little chance of totally blowing up in their faces. But as currently constituted, this is not a contending group. To bridge that gap, the club needs to get their young position players pointed in the right direction, so that run-scoring becomes a true strength. Then they need to add one high quality starter plus perhaps another innings guy to have a real chance to run with the bulls in the AL East.