Orioles sign closer Ryan Helsley to two-year deal

The Orioles marked one big item off of their offseason checklist today, signing two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley to a two-year deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal is worth $28 million and includes an opt-out after the first year.

Helsley has been one of the game’s top closers since taking over the role for the Cardinals in 2022. He’s just one year removed from leading the National League with 49 saves in 53 opportunities in 2024. He has 105 career saves, a 2.96 ERA, and 10.6 K/9. The flamethrowing Helsley ranked in the 99th percentile in fastball velocity in 2025, averaging 99.3 mph on his four-seamer this season.

The 31-year-old Helsley was one of the top closers available on the market this offseason, and might have been #1 on the list if not for his disastrous two-month stint with the Mets after they acquired him at the trade deadline. In 20 innings for New York, Helsley was torched for 20 runs, 25 hits, and 11 walks, posting a 7.20 ERA as the Mets suffered a late-season collapse to miss the playoffs. Helsley said recently that he thinks he was tipping his pitches and becoming too predictable with his pitch mix.

The Orioles are banking on Helsley being able to return to his Cardinals form and capably replace the injured Félix Bautista as a lockdown closer. Some teams reportedly were interested in signing Helsley as a starting pitcher — something he has never done in the major leagues — but the O’s presumably will slot him in as their ninth-inning guy. The club has not yet confirmed the signing.

With the Orioles’ impending addition of Helsley and their reacquisition of setup man Andrew Kittredge, they’ve begun to rebuild a bullpen that was full of castoffs and untested rookies after the trade deadline in 2025. They still have plenty of areas of the roster to address, particularly the starting rotation, but they’ve been one of MLB’s more aggressive teams thus far this winter.