The Detroit Tigers headed into the offseason looking to improve their pitching staff by any means necessary, and there has been some wild reporting on that pursuit thus far in the offseason.
One story which surfaced was Detroit having interest in veteran closer Ryan Helsley, but to convert him to a starting pitcher instead of what he has done for his whole career. As it turned out, the Tigers lost out on Helsley to the Baltimore Orioles on a lucrative $28 million two-year deal where he will remain in the bullpen.
Fans who did not believe the original interest though were surprised on Thursday to learn straight from the source that the interest was very real from Detroit’s end in what would have been a fascinating experiment.
Helsley Confirms Tigers Interest Was Legitimate
Jun 23, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) pitches in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
During a press conference to be introduced to Baltimore media on Wednesday, Helsley revealed while discussing his choice to stick in the bullpen that Detroit was one of the teams most interested in his services.
“My whole minor league career I started and didn’t pitch out of the bullpen until I got to the big leagues,” Helsley said before naming several star pitchers who have made successful transitions from the bullpen. “It’s something I was open to because I’ve done it before. Detroit was in on me heavy for starting, I just weighed the options and risks and they didn’t seem to lineup with where I was at in my career.”
Hearing Helsley confirm a report that did not seem all that plausible feels fairly notable for a Tigers team that is after pitching both in the bullpen and rotation. Helsley struggled down the stretch, but that did not deter interest from Detroit.
Would Helsley Have Found Success in Tigers Rotation?
Aug 14, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) reacts as he walks off the field after the top of the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
It’s hard to say whether or not Helsley coming to the Motor City and doing something he has not not ever done in his big league career would have worked out, but clearly Detroit felt confident about it.
If it was indeed just a mechanical issue for Helsley that led to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP down the stretch for the New York Mets after the trade deadline, there would be no one more equipped to fix it than Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter.
Helsley has been one of the best closers in baseball for some time though and Detroit is still in need of bullpen help, so the fact that they felt strongly enough about his ability to transition that they wanted to take him out of the role speaks volumes.
The 31-year-old now will try to get his career back on track instead in Baltimore for a young Orioles team which could be a squad the Tigers are competing with for a playoff spot down the stretch in 2026.
Time will tell whether or not Helsley’s presence impacts that pursuit, and his performance this season will be closely monitored by fans in Detroit to see how big of a miss it was from Scott Harris and the Tigers front office.
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