Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Much of the talk around the relief pitchers who are available in free agency this offseason has been centered on Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets or even Devin Williams of the New York Yankees. But there are other players on the open market who could be real steals for any team this winter.

One of those is veteran right-hander Ryan Helsley, who split time between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Mets last year. His time with St. Louis was far more productive than with the Mets, but teams will need to look at his season in totality.

Before he was traded to New York, Helsley was seen as one of the better relief pitchers in the sport. In 36 appearances with St. Louis, the veteran posted an ERA of 3.00 over 36 innings of work.

But once he got to the Mets, it seemed like something flipped in the worst way for him, and he struggled heavily. His ERA ballooned up to 7.20 over 22 appearances in New York, and he now enters free agency having teams question which version of him they will get.

One saving grace for the veteran pitcher is that his fastball was still electric with the Mets, hitting around 103 mph at times. Helsley recently spoke about his struggles in New York and believes that they were due to a “tick” in his pitching method that alerted hitters to what he would throw.

“I know what I’m capable of as a reliever,” Helsley said. “I think I still have a lot to give and can get even better. I’ve shown what I can do as a closer when I’m in that role. It’s a really fun time to be in the game. It’s the most important three outs of the game, but I still think I’m capable and able to be a starter.”

Helsley remains a confident pitcher entering free agency, and there are still teams interested in adding him to the mix. But where the veteran may land remains to be seen at this time.

This is just a prediction, NOT a report!

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Chicago Cubs Bring Ryan Helsley In

One team that may look to add Helsley this winter is the Chicago Cubs. Chicago is in desperate need of bullpen help, and they seriously need to deal with the late-game situations.

Chicago has reportedly “checked in” on Helsley already, and it seems that they are looking to deal with the problems. Until his time with the Mets, the veteran was one of the better relief options for the backend of games, and the Cubs could use his services.

The Cubs saw Helsley a ton while he was with the Cardinals, so they know him pretty well. Chicago could use some heat in the bullpen, and Helsley would certainly help in this case.

Any team that will sign Helsley will be hoping that his time in New York was an outlier, but even the veteran is confident that it was. Overall, this could be a massive addition for the Cubs, and one that makes them even more of a threat in the National League, if it were to happen.