Ex-Cardinals All-Star Closer's Struggles Persist With Mets

The St. Louis Cardinals were sellers at this year's trade deadline and chose to finally commit to a rebuild. They traded rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton to contending teams. Helsley was sent to the New York Mets to compliment fellow All-Star closer Edwin Diaz. However, he has not been as good as advertised.

He was the National League Reliever of the Year in 2024 after saving 49 games, which set a Cardinals franchise record, but his 2025 season has not gone according to plan. He entered Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a chance to earn a save for the Mets and get them closer to first place.

Unfortunately, Helsley allowed a game-tying home run to his former Cardinals teammate Harrison Bader. On X, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com pointed out just how bad things have gotten for the veteran right-hander.

Ex-Cardinals Closer Continues To Falter With Mets

"Ryan Helsley gave it up again. It's a game-tying, two-run homer to Harrison Bader," DiComo posted.

"Helsley has now allowed 14 runs (10 earned) in 10 appearances since joining the Mets."

Since joining the Mets, Helsley is 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA in 11 games. With St. Louis, he was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 36 appearances and had recorded 21 saves. Unfortunately, he has not been able to get the job done for the Mets.

The two-time All-Star has watched his ERA on the season go up to 4.43. While the Mets ended up winning on Tuesday night, it didn't change the fact that Helsley has really been struggling on the mound lately.

The 30-year-old is not the pitcher he was in St. Louis. He was arguably Major League Baseball's top closer in 2024, but things have gone south since the end of that season.

The Cardinals didn't get much in return for Helsley. They could have gotten more for him if they had traded him in the offseason as opposed to waiting until the trade deadline.

Either way, Helsley's performance in New York has not matched his performance in St. Louis. This is bad news for the right-hander, as he is a pending free agent, and this certainly is hurting his value.

It will be interesting to see if in the offseason, certain teams choose to avoid him after his second-half struggles. He could find himself back in the Cardinals price range, but his market may not be what it was originally expected to be.