As this year’s trade deadline loomed, relief pitchers were in high demand. Among the most active sellers were the St. Louis Cardinals, dealing multiple arms, including their 31 year old pitcher Ryan Helsley. The New York Mets, meanwhile, didn’t hold back, prying away the Cardinals’ two-time All-Star. After Helsley’s move to Queens, the Mets were able to pair him with Edwin Diaz.

Mendoza hoped that the two closers would solidify their bullpen for the postseason. However, things are already appearing on the edge for Helsley. In his latest outing against the Atlanta Braves, he ended up throwing 16 strikes on 24 pitches with no strikeouts and one walk. Called upon during the ninth inning, the right-hander allowed three runs on three hits in the Mets’ 12-7 win over Atlanta.

During the postgame media availability, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was asked about his level of concern for Helsley. “I mean, I’m not going to say that I’m concerned. But we’ve got to help him, because he’s not getting swings and misses. He’s not getting chases. So, we’ve got to go back and see how can we continue to help him because he’s elite” he said.

“Another tough inning there where the hitters are just basically taking the breaking balls; they’re right on the fastball, so our job is to help him.” Mendoza tried to insist that he’s not panicking yet. However, he couldn’t mask it well. Since becoming a Met, Helsley has surrendered 12 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits in only 7.1 innings over nine games. In contrast, across 36 appearances for the Cardinals earlier this year, Helsley racked up 21 saves in 26 chances.

For Helsley, the Mets traded their infield prospect Jesus Baez and two pitching prospects, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt, to St. Louis. If the Mets want to help him, they need to fix him fast enough. After all, he will become a free agent after this season.

Mets’ Right-Hander Could Leave for the Orioles

During last season, Helsley was viewed as one of the best closers, recording 49 saves and was also well coveted around the league. This year, he had 21 saves with the Cardinals before moving to the Queens. Since donning the Mets’ jersey, he hasn’t been very effective, given his 7.11 ERA.

Moreover, the Baltimore Orioles will be bidding goodbye to their All-Star closer, Felix Bautista, next season. The Orioles are expected to enter the free agency market to buy a closer. Apparently, Bautista had a surgery to fix his torn labrum and rotator cuff. And the Orioles might now be forced to look for a new closer.

FanSided’s Chris Landers also sees Helsley as a fit for the Orioles now that Bautista might be on the shelf for the upcoming season. He noted that Helsley’s fastball, when he locates it accurately, easily cracks triple digits. In 2024, Helsley also secured the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award.

“The odds are good that he’ll be back to looking like an All-Star closer next season, and who knows, maybe his current struggles will depress his market a little bit.” Landers said. After making the playoffs last year, the Orioles have struggled mightily this season. They would want to improve steadily and bring in the two-time All-Star closer.