The media’s fascination with baseball closers and the mentality required to succeed at the job runs at such a high level that Ryan Helsley was asked about it twice yesterday during his introductory video call.

Helsley has looked at pitching life from many sides, working as a starter at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and in the minors, being a reliever in the majors and going from ninth-inning All-Star specialist to more of a setup role this year with the Mets.

The deadline trade that brought Helsley from the Cardinals contributed to the Mets’ freefall. His ERA climbed from 2.77 after his third appearance with his new team to 5.14 after his 16^th.

Though open to the idea of starting again, which the Tigers wanted him to do, Helsley found his ideal match with the Orioles, who needed him to close and were willing to pay him $28 million over two years but also let him opt out after the first.

Félix Bautista was an All-Star in 2023, winning the American League’s Reliever of the Year award but undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. He’s on the shelf again, this time recovering from a procedure to repair his labrum and rotator cuff.

The Orioles were aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent closer Ryan Helsley, and he used the same approach to decide whether they were the right team for him.

Helsley met with club officials, reached out to former teammates with the Cardinals who also played for the Orioles, spoke with a friend who knows new manager Craig Albernaz. Helsley did his homework. And he’s confident that he made the right choice in accepting their two-year, $28 million offer with the opt-out clause.

“It just seemed like a great fit, honestly,” Helsley said earlier today in a video call. “Playing this team the last few years and seeing their young core and how tight-knit they were, and I’ve known a couple guys that have played with this group the last few years and they had very good things to say about them and the new coaching staff. I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about it, so that really drew me to come to Baltimore. And obviously, it has to be a two-way street in free agency and they were very interested, as well, and obviously we were able to strike a deal.”

Helsley can reenter free agency after the 2026 season, which might make him a one-and-done with the Orioles if he pitches at his previous All-Star level.

“To have an opt-out was big,” he said. “We had a few offers on the table, but obviously, we felt like Baltimore was the best. And not only the best offer, but the best fit. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this organization.”

There isn’t a Grayson Rodriguez or a DL Hall in the Orioles’ minor league system. That’s now true for the major leagues, too. 

For years, Rodriguez and Hall were touted as the future of Baltimore’s rotation. Both were among the 100 best prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, with Rodriguez even entering the 2022 season as the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the game. 

What the Orioles lacked behind them, though, was depth. Dating back to 2019, when Mike Elias and company took the reins, all the way to 2023, Rodriguez and Hall were No. 1 and No. 2 in the org’s pitching prospect rankings. 

The names behind them in ‘19 included Dean Kremer, now a fixture in the O’s rotation, and Keegan Akin, a solid reliever. In December of 2019, Baltimore added Kyle Bradish, who became their No. 21 prospect. At the time, Pipeline noted his “middle-of-the-rotation ceiling.” Fair to say Bradish expanded on that. 

Along the way, there were plenty of arms that profiled as potential back-end starters. Bradish and Kremer, of course, panned out and exceeded expectations. But there were other names that didn’t, like Zac Lowther, Blaine Knight, Mike Baumann, Drew Rom, Cody Sedlock, Kevin Smith and others. 

New closer Ryan Helsley passed his physical with the Orioles, signed his two-year, $28 million contract and awaits the opportunity to field questions from the media.

Half the league reportedly had expressed some level of interest in Helsley. What made him decide on the Orioles?

How much did the opt-out clause sway him? I wouldn’t expect him to go into too much detail on the money offered by other clubs.

How aggressive were the Orioles in their pursuit? Were they among the first teams to contact his agent?

Was he intrigued by the teams that viewed him as a potential starter, something he’s never done in the majors? Sixty-nine of his 87 minor league appearances came as a starter. He was in the rotation for 21 of his 26 college games.

The signing of reliever Ryan Helsley to a two-year contract with an opt-out clause increases the Orioles’ 40-man roster to 39 players. Twenty-two are pitchers, with three catchers, seven infielders and seven outfielders.

There’s room for the Orioles to make a selection in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10 that wraps up the Winter Meetings in Orlando, but they could choose to pass again.

The Orioles haven’t picked a player in the major league phase since 2022. Anyone remember his name?

Answer below.

Tyler Wells was the last Rule 5 selection to make the club after the Orioles plucked him from the Twins organization in 2020. The 2021 Winter Meetings and draft were cancelled due to the lockout.

Closer Ryan Helsley has passed his physical and signed his contract with the Orioles.

Helsley agreed to terms over the weekend on a two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out after 2026. The right-handed will receive a $500,000 bonus if he’s traded, according to The Athletic.

The Orioles announced the signing tonight but only confirmed the years and opt-out.

The hunt for a closer led the Orioles to Helsley, 31, who ranked first in the majors with 49 saves while pitching for the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting.

He also won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the league’s top reliever.

The best part of Thanksgiving might be the leftovers. The holiday stretches for days and days.  

Mailbags also can be stretched and they won’t turn different colors if those days become weeks. They also don’t create dirty dishes and pans that need soaking.

Let's dig into these leftovers.  

What do you think of Zac Gallen for our rotation? We have a ton of  Scott Boras players, so Mike Elias seems to be comfortable working with him. Gallen cannot be the main addition, but if we can get another pitcher like Ranger Suárez or Framber Valdez in addition to him, I am more than OK with that.
As long as you’re happy. But seriously, I would have shown a little more enthusiasm a few years ago, when his ERA was 2.54, or even 3.47 and 3.65 the next two years. It was 4.83 in 33 starts this year, and his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings were the lowest of his career. But he would be a nice addition to the rotation. Maybe not the “main” guy, but on the other hand – and there’s usually two – would it be that bad if Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Zac Gallen comprised the top three? Come on, be honest with me.

Roch, have the Orioles explained in any detail what Mike Shildt's duties will be? His title gives me the impression that he's going to be in charge of player development in the minor leagues. Who was doing the work that he will now be doing? This feels like a big change to me.
Ha, you said “duties.” You also misspelled his name, as did the poster of the next question, but I made the necessary corrections in a rare bit of editing. S-H-I-L-D-T. The Orioles haven’t announced the hire, which leaves us to speculate and assume. Upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction means he’ll work with players at Triple-A and Double-A. I don’t think anyone else had the title. I checked the staff listing. We’ll find out more later, but he seems like a really smart hire given his past experience in player development and the rest of his resume, including successful manager. Anything he can do to better prepare prospects for the majors will be a big asset.

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher RYAN HELSLEY on a two-year major league contract for the 2026-27 seasons with a player opt-out following 2026.

Helsley, 31, is a two-time All-Star and the 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year. He went 3-4 with 21 saves, a 4.50 ERA (28 ER/56.0 IP), 61 hits (8 HR), 25 walks (3 IBB), and 63 strikeouts in 58 appearances between the St. Louis Cardinals (36 G) and New York Mets (22 G) last season. All 21 saves came with the Cardinals before being acquired by the Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers on July 30. The right-hander has recorded 77 saves since returning from injury on September 1, 2023, second most in the majors during that period behind Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (79 SV). The Tahlequah, Okla. native set the Cardinals single-season saves record with 49 in 2024, the most by a major leaguer since New York-NL’s Edwin Díaz (57 SV) in 2018.

Since the start of 2022, opponents are batting .141 (50-for-354) against his slider, the sixth-lowest average among major league relievers off a single pitch (min. 250 AB) during that time. According to Baseball Savant, Helsley’s slider had a run value of 12 in 2025, tied for the fifth best in the majors. He was also tied for fifth in slider run value with 13 in 2024, but the pitch’s run value per 100 pitches was 2.8, the best in the majors on a slider and tied for the third-best pitch in the majors that season behind Cleveland’s Cade Smith’s four-seam fastball (3.0 RV/100) and Emmanuel Clase’s cutter (3.1 RV/100).

Helsley was originally selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Northeastern State University (OK). In 297 career appearances between the Cardinals (275 G) and Mets (22 G), he’s 31-18 with 105 saves, a 2.96 ERA (105 ER/319.2 IP), and 377 strikeouts.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

Not all seasons are created equally.

Rookie years are for making mistakes and learning from them. Final seasons are for curtain calls and flowers. Contract years are for playing your best baseball in hopes of a big payday.

2025 was Ryan Helsley’s contract year, and it didn’t go exactly as he’d hoped.

Entering the season, the flamethrowing right-hander looked like one of the best relievers in the game. His previous three seasons in St. Louis included two All-Star appearances, thanks to a 1.83 ERA, more than a dozen strikeouts per nine innings, a WHIP under 1.000 and 82 saves.

In fact, in 2024, Helsley led all of baseball in saves with 49, one of just two pitchers to even reach 40.

The Orioles aren’t tip-toeing into the upcoming Winter Meetings.

Mike Elias got his power-hitting right-handed bat when he traded for outfielder Taylor Ward. He got his closer yesterday by reaching agreement with Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million contract, which a source confirmed last night.

Executives won’t convene in Orlando until Dec. 7. Elias might check another box on his list before his flight lands.

Two starting pitchers, at least, are priorities for a team whose rotation posted a 4.65 ERA this year that ranked 24^th in the majors, traded Grayson Rodriguez and apparently won’t bring back Zach Eflin or Tomoyuki Sugano. Elias indicated that he could pursue another impact bat, and he’d like to find a center fielder to provide options beyond Colton Cowser and Leody Taveras. The Orioles might not be able to carry three catchers, but he could use more depth at the position, just in case. A true utility infielder also might be desired.

Sleeves aren’t rolled down. Ward and Helsley just scratched the surface.

The Orioles remained hopeful that they could get back Félix Bautista sometime after the break, but they had to find a closer to assist in their push to go from last place to first in 2026.

They didn’t wait for the Winter Meetings.

Multiple reports have the Orioles agreeing to terms with closer Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million deal pending the results of a physical. The contract includes an opt-out.

Bautista had surgery in August to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. He didn’t pitch after July 20, and he missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

Helsley, 31, was drawing interest from the Tigers as a potential starter, but all 297 of his appearances in seven major league seasons came in relief. He led the majors with 49 saves in 53 chances with the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young voting. He also won the Trevor Hoffman award as the league’s top reliever.

Sammy Stewart’s life story is filled with chapters documenting his athletic successes, including a World Series championship with the Orioles in 1983, and tragedies that left him incarcerated, homeless and broken.

A childhood friend wants to pen the final one.

David Cody grew up with Stewart in the small town of Swannanoa in western North Carolina. They played baseball together. Everyone in the community had a bat and glove. None were better than Stewart, a major league pitcher for 10 seasons, the first eight with the Orioles, who signed him as an amateur free agent out of tiny Montreat College.

Stewart and Cody attended Charles D. Owen High, a 2A school where former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and NBA center Brad Daugherty also roamed the halls. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Daughtery was the first-overall pick in the 1986 draft and a five-time All-Star who retired as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Why isn’t Stewart included in the Charles D. Owens and Buncombe County Halls of Fame?

The Orioles didn’t make any roster moves or hires yesterday. News didn’t break or leak.

The next important date is Dec. 7, the start of baseball’s Winter Meetings at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. That’s a switch from the Swan and Dolphin hotel that’s hosted in past years.

Mike Elias will bring a shopping list that’s reminiscent of the one he carried to Nashville in 2023. He’s trying to find a couple of starting pitchers, with one of them worthy of high placement in the rotation, and he needs a closer.

The Corbin Burnes trade wasn’t finalized until Feb. 1, about two months after veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel signed a deal that paid $12 million and included a $1 million buyout and $13 million team option for 2025. He was designated for assignment Sept. 18 and released a week later.

Good first half, though.

The Orioles have two openings on their 40-man roster and incentive to improve the depth in their farm system. They aren’t obligated to shut down over the holiday. Business as usual isn't banned.

They made three moves on Thanksgiving 2024, none of which garnered much attention except to briefly interrupt dinners or the cleanup afterward. Infielder Jeremiah Jackson, left-hander Raúl Alcantara and outfielder Franklin Barreto agreed to minor league deals.

Alcantara was released from Double-A Chesapeake’s roster in early August without appearing in a game. Barreto was released on Aug. 31 and still hasn’t played in the majors since 2020.

Jackson turned out to be worth the fuss that wasn’t made for him. He appeared in 48 games with the Orioles, batted .276/.328/.447 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 21 RBIs, and has a chance to break camp next spring in a utility role.

Having him in the organization is one reason for the club to be thankful. Today seems like the appropriate time to mention five others.

In the latest unexpected development in the offseason, former Padres manager Mike Shildt is joining the Orioles to work in player development.

According to a source, Shildt has been hired as upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction. Samuel Vega is going from Latin American coordinator of instruction to lower-level coordinator of instruction.

Shildt, 57, announced his retirement last month after managing the Padres to back-to-back playoff appearances, saying "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."

The news came nine days after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in the National League Wild Card series.

Shildt compiled a 183-141 record as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season.

We’re a day away from Thanksgiving gluttony and I’ve got a mailbag that’s already stuffed.

You ask, I answer and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2009 original. That’s right, 2009. You can look it up if you navigate the internet better than me.

The only editing here is to remove the Jell-O salad that your crazy aunt insisted on bringing again.

Also, my mailbag carves the turkey at the head of the table and your mailbag sit at the kids' table.

Who is more likely to be traded, Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? And no “hold the Mayo” jokes.
I’m better than that. Mountcastle is a trade candidate because of a projected salary around $8 million, past health issues, a decline in production, and a market that exists for him. Mayo would be a big prospect piece in a potential deal. Both are possibilities, but if I have to rank them I’d say Mountcastle is more likely to go as a pending free agent. The reason why Mayo enters the conversation is because the Orioles would have to dip into that prospect pool in order to trade for an ace. He used to be untouchable but that might not be the case anymore. I’m not saying that he’s being shopped, just that there might be more of a willingness to listen.

“I live in a small town, and to avoid dealing with ex girlfriend’s moms, they go ‘oh do you still play for the Angels,’” Taylor Ward said with a laugh. “And I say ‘yeah, sure, yeah.’ So now, it’s one of those ‘oh hey, you just got traded to Baltimore!’” 

He had, of course, not been traded to the Orioles. That would be quite a career shift for Ward, who has been covering the Angels for Baseball America since 2013. 

Instead, it was a player that he had covered for a long time in Anaheim, Joseph Taylor Ward, who goes by Taylor, that had been sent to Baltimore in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez. 

“We actually played baseball against each other a long time ago, high school days,” Baseball America’s Ward said of the new O’s outfielder. “His introduction after getting drafted, the PR Director was introducing him in the Angels’ media room and said ‘we’re going to start our questions with Taylor Ward.’ And I said ‘hey Taylor,’ and he looked at me and it was one of those connections of like ‘we’ve met before but where have we met.’ And I said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and he said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and it was an old connection that kind of came to fruition.” 

The duo, a reporter and a player sharing the same name, were the center of plenty of jokes in the clubhouse and on social media. So, on the day when the outfielder was traded, you can imagine what the day was like for the reporter. 

Taylor Ward is about three weeks away from celebrating his 32^nd birthday and four months from the start of his ninth major league season. He’s changing his address from Anaheim to Baltimore but keeping the responsibilities that come with age and experience.

None of the Orioles’ hitters bring as much of it except for outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who’s only 30 but also made his debut in 2018. Ward was chosen 10 picks ahead of Ryan Mountcastle in the first round of the 2015 draft, but the homegrown first baseman is entering his seventh season and is 28.

Reliever Keegan Akin, awaiting his 31^st birthday on April 1 and with six major league seasons, inherited a leadership role in the bullpen after the deadline trades.

Ward will tackle the job with the same enthusiasm that he brings as a middle-of-the-order bat and left fielder.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said yesterday during his video call with the media. “Even with the Angels having a young core that they have right now, too. Yeah, anything that they need, any questions that they have, I’m absolutely available to tell them how I do things and just try to educate them the best I can to just speed up their development.

Taylor Ward’s phone rang around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he checked the name of the caller and saw that Angels general manager Perry Minasian was trying to contact him.

Ward had always prepared himself for the possibility of a trade, and now, Minasian randomly was on the other end of the line.

“Obviously,” he said today in a video call, “there’s been rumors for years now.”

The chatter apparently didn’t cause him to make any assumptions that night, to come away as anything except surprised when told that the Orioles acquired him for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

“Our conversation was pretty brief, but just told me that I was traded to Baltimore and he appreciated everything that I had done with the Angels and wished me luck. But had no idea,” Ward said.

The Orioles’ pitching staff is incomplete, with additions sought for the rotation and bullpen. Mike Elias traded for an outfielder but might want another option in center. He also has indicated that he could target a big bat.

Nothing much is said about the infield besides the decision to tender Ryan Mountcastle a contract.

Ramón Urías was used in a utility role until the deadline trade to Houston, which designated him for assignment last week. The Orioles designated Luis Vázquez for assignment on Tuesday, but he stays in the organization after clearing waivers yesterday and accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Vázquez will come to spring training after appearing in 32 games and going 8-for-50. He’s a plus defender at shortstop and maybe the best emergency reliever in history with four scoreless appearances with three hits allowed over 4 1/3 innings.

Got to be in the top 10 at least, right? Maybe he should close.