Ryan Helsley: Tigers were 'in on me heavy' as starter before O's deal

The Detroit Tigers pursued Ryan Helsley in free agency – not as a reliever, but as a starter.

The 31-year-old right-hander has spent his entire seven-year MLB career in the bullpen, serving as a closer for most of the past five seasons, but he has experience as a starter from his rise through the minor leagues.

Helsley opted to remain in the bullpen.

He turned down the Tigers and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

"Detroit was in on me heavy for starting," Helsley said Wednesday, Dec. 3, during a news conference. "I weighed the options and the risks, and they just didn't seem to line up with where I was at in my career and what we were really looking for as a team with Wasserman."

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Instead of the Tigers, Helsley signed a two-year, $28 million contract – agreed upon Saturday and finalized Monday, becoming their closer. He will earn $14 million in 2026 and 2027, with an opt-out clause after the 2026 season.

Helsley considered the Tigers, but chose the Orioles' bullpen over the Tigers' rotation.

"Being a starter was definitely real," Helsley said. "I told my agent [Nick Chanock, executive vice president of baseball at Wasserman Group] at the start of the offseason that if teams asked, I'm willing to listen and open to it. My whole minor league career I started. I didn't ever pitch out of the bullpen until I got to the big leagues. It was something I was open to because I've done it before."

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Over the past few years, Garrett Crochet, Clay Holmes, Michael King, Seth Lugo and Reynaldo López have been successful in their conversions from reliever to starter.

Helsley declined to follow in their footsteps.

"We had a few offers on the table," said Helsley, who valued the opt-out clause in his two-year contract, "but I felt like Baltimore was the best – not only the best offer, but the best fit. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this organization."

Had Helsley transitioned to a starting role, he would have needed to expand his pitch mix – likely adding a sinker and a changeup – to offset the inevitable dip in fastball velocity.

His fastball averages 99 mph as a reliever, but as a starter, it probably would settle around 95 mph. That drop could have created issues, given his heater already gets hit too often for both contact and damage.

His slider is his best pitch, regularly generating whiff rates above 50% while holding hitters to a .148 batting average and a .389 OPS over the past three seasons. For comparison, his fastball has been tagged for a .318 batting average and an .880 OPS during that same span.

"Other teams offered the closing role too," Helsley said, "but I was lucky enough to have stuff to choose and pick from, which I think made it hard in itself, having options, but I'm thankful for that, and I'm glad to be here."

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Why were the Orioles a better fit than other teams, including the Tigers?

"Playing this team the last few years and seeing their young core and how tight-knit they were," Helsley said, "and I've known a couple of 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. That really drew me to come to Baltimore."

In 2025, Helsley logged a 4.50 ERA with 25 walks (9.9% walk rate) and 63 strikeouts (25% strikeout rate) across 56 innings in 58 games between the St. Louis Cardinals (36 games) and New York Mets (22 games).

He had a 3.00 ERA in the closer role with the Cardinals before the trade deadline, only to struggle in a setup role after the move, posting a 7.20 ERA with the Mets.

Helsley is considered a bounce-back candidate.

Before his 2025 collapse, Helsley compiled a 1.83 ERA with 60 walks (9.2% walk rate) and 225 strikeouts (34.6% strikeout rate) over 167⅔ innings in 152 games from 2022-24. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2024 and led MLB with 49 saves in 2024.

"As far as what we talked about in Baltimore, we had some good discussions," Helsley said. "They didn't lay out a full-detailed plan in our meetings before I signed, but they had some ideas and have the resources to help me get back to where I want to be – help me get that feel back on my fastball, add a pitch or two, refine some things. In this game, you're always trying to tweak your stuff. As long as you're playing, you're always going to be doing that."

The decision for Helsley to sign with the Orioles reflected his desire to become their closer and accept their offer – a combination the Tigers couldn't match.

"Obviously, it has to be a two-way street in free agency," Helsley said of the Orioles, "and they were very interested as well, and obviously, we were able to strike a deal."

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers pursued Orioles reliever Ryan Helsley as starter