Ryan Helsley signs $28 million deal with Orioles to move closer after brutal stint with Mets

Ryan Helsley will not be in Queens next season.

Helsley, a former closer who the Mets acquired at the trade deadline last season, signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Orioles, The Post’s Jon Heyman said. confirmed on Saturday.

The deal includes an opt-out after the first season, and Helsley is expected to pitch the ninth inning for the Orioles.

Helsley, who was a closer for the Cardinals before his disastrous stint with the Mets, marks the second bullpen addition for Baltimore. The Orioles re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs earlier this month after previously dealing him to Chicago at the trade deadline.

Over the course of his seven-year career, Helsley, 31, emerged as one of the MLB’s best closers, posting a 2.96 ERA with 377 strikeouts and 105 saves in 297 appearances.

The right-hander recorded 49 saves in the MLB in 2024 and reached the All-Star game twice in his career.

But Helsley had some of his worst moments when he joined the Mets, posting an abysmal 7.20 ERA over 20 innings while in New York.

During his short time with the Mets, Helsley was caught tipping his pitches, which likely contributed greatly to his lack of success in Queens.

Helsley tried to adjust his glove and hand position to hide his pitch-tipping, and he previously told The Post that despite some issues with the Cardinals, he had “but nothing to this extent.”

“As a pitcher, sometimes you get caught. That’s just part of the game,” Helsley said in August. “But when it’s full innings or multiple games in a row, and the guys are really looking comfortable and taking too many good swings, especially on good pitches, or just putting away good pitches that you throw, then the buzzers start going off and the red flags go up.”

Despite trying to resolve his field tilt issues, Helsley was unable to replicate the success he had while playing for the Cardinals.

Now he gets another chance with the Orioles.