On Wednesday, new Orioles reliever Ryan Helsley spoke with the media about why he chose the Orioles, his struggles with the New York Mets after a July trade from St. Louis, and playing with former teammates. The 31-year-old right-hander’s contract is reported as two years for $28 million, with an opt-out after the 2026 season.
Here are highlights from Helsley’s media session:
Why did you pick the Orioles as your new team?
“It just seemed like a great fit, honestly. 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.
“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. To have an opt-out was big. 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.”
Was it important to have an opportunity to again be a closer?
“Yeah, I think so. When they first reached out, that’s kind of what they said and what they envisioned for me and for my job to be with this team.
“I know Andrew Kittredge is there, and I think we’ll have a good bullpen. Hopefully, we can keep adding and make our team a little stronger. We’re in a tough division, so it’s going to be a lot of fun this year and a lot of tight games. Other teams offered the closer role, too, 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.”
What’s the difference between pitching the eighth and ninth innings?
“I think the only thing that’s different — I’ve been in the closer role for four years, parts of four years, in St. Louis — and when you’re in a closer role, you have pretty set variables that you know you’re looking at to when you’re going to come in the game and certain circumstances where if you’re an eighth-inning guy, your bandwidth is a little wider and you have more opportunity and you’ve just got to be ready for more.
“I think it was just a combination of a little bit of everything — not making pitches and trying to adjust to the new role and maybe trying to do a little too much. So I think it was just a little bit a combination of everything and having the ups and downs there. So I think that was a little bit of everything that contributed to that.”
What was the reason your fastball wasn’t as effective last season?
“Yeah, I think a little bit of everything. I don’t know if there was just one thing we could really put our finger on. But I think being behind in counts and then throwing a fastball when a hitter’s looking for it obviously doesn’t help. These guys at this level are really good, and they show that on a day-to-day basis. And I’ve just got to be better at getting ahead, and I wasn’t as good when I was in New York at getting ahead as I had been with St. Louis this year and in years past. So just working on getting ahead and making better pitches with it, honestly, is what it boils down to and not being so predictable.”
Did you speak with Kittredge and Tyler O’Neill about the Orioles?
“I definitely reached out to them early in the process because Baltimore was one of the first teams to reach out and showed interest early on. I also talked to Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty. I texted Dylan Carlson a little bit, some guys that I know that have personally played there and experienced Baltimore. They all had great things to say about it, which obviously helped make my decision a little easier, but I’ve heard from other teammates, too about the coaching staff. All the stuff I heard, all the positive feedback I got helped make this decision easier.”
There was talk about you being a starter. How real was team’s interest and yours?
“The starter [talk] was definitely real. I told my agent at the start of the offseason that if teams asked, I’m willing to listen and open to it. Early in my career I started. I didn’t ever pitch out of the bullpen until I got to the big leagues.
“We’ve seen Garrett Crochet and Seth Lugo, just to name a couple of guys who switched from the bullpen to starting roles and have success. Something that I was open to and had success.
“Detroit was in on me heavy for starting. Weighed the options and the risks and they just didn’t seem to line up with where I was at with my career”.
There was talk that tipping your pitches led to your difficulties with the Mets. Is that true?
“When I first got there, they told me they had stuff on me with their guys. They had some really good people over there. It seems like it’s all across the league now. There’s so many cameras and stuff. You’ve got to be really buttoned up on this type of thing because guys are going to take every little advantage they’re going to get and try to make it a little easier for them to hit.
“I tried to work through it and thought I fixed it with my old mechanics and setup. Once you’re out there in the game, you’re not really thinking about that kind of stuff so your old habits tend to creep back in. It wasn’t until I switched my posture and switched my hands that I think it really started to click, and obviously it was kind of a learning curve, an adjustment those first couple of outings trying to get used to my hands being there. It was so new, and I pitched the same way for most of my career so I think I got that ironed out, and I think that would be something that will help me throughout the rest of my career.”
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