Ryan

Helsley

The 31-year-old stopper allowed a leadoff single to Luke Keaschall and then Victor Caratini reached on an error with two outs — putting the tying runs on base. Not to worry though as Helsley got James Outman to fly out to left field to end it. He has now successfully converted each of his first two chances on the season and looks like one of the most reliable closer options on the board for fantasy purposes.

Helsley topped out at 101.9 mph in the one-run contest. He gave up a single to Victor Caratini with two outs and then struck out pinch-hitter Trevor Larnach to finish the game. Seemingly over his pitch-tipping-based struggles down the stretch last year, Helsley went without allowing a run in six innings this spring. Today’s outing is the first in which he struck out three in an inning since June 7.

The 31-year-old hurler made it look easy in this one, getting Billy Cook on a swinging third strike, Jake Mangum on a ground ball to first and Pirates’ top prospect Konnor Griffin on a swinging third strike to end the inning. He has now fired five scoreless innings on the spring with a 0.80 WHIP and a 5/1 K/BB ratio. He looks like one of the more solid and stable options at closer after the top seven options come off the board.

Albernaz, who is managing a major league team for the first time, appears to believe that closers are closers and shouldn’t be used earlier in games when the situation might warrant. That’s good news for Helsley’s value, because while he was already clearly going to be the Orioles’ closer, it’s nice to know he won’t lose the occasional save chance pitching the eighth in tight games.

Helsley, whose only season of 100 innings pitched was in the minors in 2017 and who missed most of the second half of 2023 with a forearm strain, decided it wasn’t worth the risk to try starting at age 31. Perhaps he could consider it again if he has a successful 2026 and opts out of his two-year, $28 million deal next winter.

The deal is now official. Helsley, who can opt-out and re-enter the market next winter, takes over as Baltimore’s closer with Félix Bautista expected to miss nearly all of next season recovering from shoulder surgery. The flame-throwing 31-year-old stopper holds a sparkling 2.96 ERA and has converted 105 of 132 save opportunities over 319 2/3 innings since 2019. The move provides a significant boost to his immediate fantasy value as he faces zero competition for saves with the Orioles and boasts a lengthy track record of success in the ninth inning. He’s a borderline top-10 closer for fantasy purposes heading into drafts next spring.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo adds that the deal is for $28 million and includes an opt-out after the 2026 season. Helsley immediately takes over as Baltimore’s closer with Félix Bautista slated to miss most of next season recovering from shoulder surgery. The hard-throwing 31-year-old stopper has compiled a stellar 2.96 ERA and racked up 105 saves across 319 2/3 innings since 2019, and reportedly drew interest from numerous teams as a potential starter this offseason. Instead, he’ll remain in a high-leverage role with the Orioles. The move exponentially increases his short-term fantasy appeal as he faces little competition for saves in Baltimore and could re-enter the market next winter in pursuit of a longer, more lucrative deal. He profiles as a borderline top-10 closer for fantasy purposes heading into drafts next spring.

Rosenthal, Stavenhagen and Woo cite Michael King, Seth Lugo and Clay Holmes as prominent examples of relievers making the conversion to starting roles in recent years. The hard-throwing 31-year-old leaned heavily on a fastball/slider mix last year, and a move to the rotation would require expanding his secondary arsenal, but the long-term upside is obvious. He would bring yet another high-octane arm to a Tigers rotation already anchored by back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and supported by veterans Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, and intriguing prospects like Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton. With the closer market saturated by established veterans, exploring a conversion could broaden Helsley’s list of potential suitors.

Helsley was brutal after coming to the Mets at the trade deadline, posting a 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, and 22/11 K/BB ratio in 20 innings. However, Passan notes that “Helsley, with his 100 mph fastball and 90 mph slider blowing up stuff models, is going to get paid.” Had he finished the season strong, he may have commanded a deal pushing $100 million, but Passan believes that he will still get about $50 million on a multi-year deal this offseason.

This was after he entered with the team down 3-2 in the seventh. In 14 appearances for the Mets, Helsley, who knows he’s tipping his pitches but can’t seem to fix it, has given up runs nine times, including multiple runs on seven occasions. He has an 11.45 ERA in 11 innings, taking his season mark from 3.00 to 4.98.