Orioles sign closer Helsley to 2-year, $28 million deal

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have landed their closer for the 2026 season as the start to their aggressive offseason continued.

Baltimore announced the signing of right-hander Ryan Helsley to a two-year contract on Monday. The deal is worth $28 million, sources told MLB.com, and it features an opt-out after the first season.

Helsley, 31, is a two-time All-Star and seven-year MLB veteran who has pitched for the Cardinals (2019-25) and the Mets (‘25). He owns a 2.96 ERA with 105 saves over 297 career appearances, all in relief.

In 2024, Helsley won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best reliever in the National League and earned first-team All-MLB honors. He recorded an MLB-high 49 saves and posted a 2.04 ERA in 66 1/3 innings over 65 games that year.

This past season, Helsley had a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves in 36 outings for the Cardinals, who then traded the righty to the Mets on July 30. He was not as effective during his brief tenure in New York, recording a 7.20 ERA in 22 games while working as a setup man rather than as a closer. Helsley worked through pitch-tipping issues to finish the season with seven scoreless innings over his final six appearances.

But Helsley has proven he can be a dominant ninth-inning arm, especially during his three-year peak with St. Louis from 2022-24. He had a 1.83 ERA and 82 saves over 152 appearances during that span, being named an All-Star in both ‘22 and ‘24.

There had been some buzz earlier this offseason that teams might have interest in Helsley as a starter. However, the Orioles will hope he can be an efficient fill-in for closer Félix Bautista, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery and won’t be an option for Baltimore until late August or September at the earliest.

Bautista, an All-Star and the Mariano Rivera Award winner in 2023, has been among baseball’s best closers when healthy. But he missed all of the ‘24 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery before returning to post a 2.60 ERA in 35 games in ‘25.

The Orioles have long preferred to have a set closer rather than taking a committee approach. When Bautista was out in 2024, the team signed veteran Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal. Kimbrel was effective at first, but he finished the season with a 5.33 ERA in 57 games and got designated for assignment in mid-September.

Baltimore will hope to get better results from Helsley in a bullpen that will be without Bautista for most (if not all) of 2026.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias laid out the Orioles’ wish list at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas earlier this month, and he has wasted little time checking off the items on his agenda. It’s unsurprising, considering Baltimore was expected to be active this offseason in an attempt to quickly bounce back from its disappointing 75-87 showing in 2025.

The Orioles bolstered their outfield mix by acquiring slugger Taylor Ward in a trade with the Angels that sent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to Los Angeles. Baltimore also signed center fielder Leody Taveras to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

Ward is expected to be an impact bat in the heart of the Orioles’ lineup, which needed a veteran presence and more right-handed thump. Taveras can be a depth piece behind Colton Cowser, who is the probable starter in center with Ward likely taking over in left.

Helsley should serve as the closer in a bullpen that could still use a few more high-leverage pieces, moves that might come down the line later this offseason. The O's previously reacquired right-handed setup man Andrew Kittredge in a trade with the Cubs on Nov. 4.

But Baltimore’s top priority from here will be starting pitching. The team is in the market for multiple arms, including one to slot into the top half of the rotation alongside Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers.