[Stavenhagen] Sources: Tigers are among teams expressing interest in Ryan Helsley as a starter | The Athletic
[Stavenhagen] Sources: Tigers are among teams expressing interest in Ryan Helsley as a starter | The Athletic
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> The Detroit Tigers are among the clubs talking to the free-agent right-hander about becoming a starter, according to people familiar with his market.
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> But even with Skubal, they would benefit from the addition of another starter.
> Jack Flaherty declined to opt out of his contract and will return on a $20 million option. Casey Mize and Troy Melton project to be in the rotation as well. But Reese Olson is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury and Jackson Jobe will miss most or all of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Tigers declined a $4 million option on Jose Urquidy, and might prefer to keep Keider Montero in the bullpen.
> Helsley led the majors with 49 saves in 2024, but regressed last season with the Cardinals and especially after the Mets acquired him at the trade deadline for three minor-league pitchers. He struggled to fix an issue with pitch tipping, and in 20 innings with the Mets produced a 7.20 ERA and .933 opponents’ OPS, well above his career marks of 2.96 and 6.21.
This guy’s a good pitcher who blew up after coming to the Mets this year. Even if you can’t stretch him out to a starter, I wouldn’t be shocked if Fetter can get him back to being a solid reliever again.
Why on earth would we sign a guy who has never pitched more than 66 innings in a season to be a starter?
This front office will literally try to fill the rotation any way other than signing a proven, reliable, not aging or washed up, starter.
What an unserious move. In one of the biggest and most crucial off-seasons in years your potential big moves are bringing back a second baseman on a one year QO and converting a horrible reliever to a starter?
I mean, if its a cheap deal and just a minor thing they do amongst several moves of consequence, ok. But Illitch and Harris have shown little inclination to do anything but have this be the big move.
It could work but he seems more like a thrower than a pitcher like Jordan Hicks
I guess multiple teams are stupid. This doesn’t make any sense.
If you just keep acquiring these type of prospects, they are bound to hit on one. Then everyone can hang onto that one success story while if ignoring the large number of failures.
Or maybe just sign an actual starter. Or, even better, sign multiple arms for the bullpen, there are plenty on the FA market. We’ve got four starters for next season already so imo let’s get busy stocking the pen
I don’t really like this idea at all. If you were going to tell me they have interest in signing him as a closer then I’d be a lot more pumped.
And that source is Helsley’s agent, who is doing his job.
The jokes right themselves more moneyball, cutting corners, smarter tha thou, cheap shit
Why not just sign him for the pen?
Stupid.
yeah I’ll believe it when I see it. don’t know why people are getting worked up over this. it’s standard offseason chatter
I don’t have a problem with signing Helsley, but why not just do it as a reliever? He fits what they need in the bullpen pretty well. The article even notes that Helsley doesn’t really have the pitch repertoire to be a starter. He’s never been a starter at the big-league level. Why force him into this role when it isn’t necessary?