Mets trade deadline bust drawing interest as a starter

Helsley, 31, was a two-time All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals and earned NL Reliever of the Year honors in 2024 after posting a 2.04 ERA with an MLB-leading 49 saves. He pitched to a 3.00 ERA with 21 saves in 36 appearances this season before being traded to the Mets for prospects Jesus Baez (No. 8), Nate Dohm (No. 14), and Frank Elissalt at the deadline.

Though one of baseball’s top closers, Helsley was acquired to be a setup man to Edwin Díaz in New York. His triple-digit fastball and 90 mph slider still generated their share of whiffs, but the Mets’ plan ultimately backfired due to his struggles with pitch tipping. In 20 appearances, he produced a 7.20 ERA and a .933 opponents’ OPS, both well above his career marks of 2.96 and .621.

Multiple relievers have successfully converted to starting in recent years: Former Mets reliever Seth Lugo became an All-Star starter with the Kansas City Royals, Michael King earned Cy Young votes with the San Diego Padres in 2024, and this past season in Queens, Holmes went 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA across 165.2 innings.

That said, such a move comes with risk. Helsley’s former teammate Jordan Hicks notably signed with the San Francisco Giants as a starter during the 2023-24 offseason and posted a 5.19 ERA across 177 innings before his salary was dumped in the Rafael Devers trade.

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All but 18 of Helsley’s 87 minor league outings were as a starter, though he has not pitched in that role since 2019 with Triple-A Memphis. The free-agent market is deep with closers, but the same cannot be said for quality starting pitchers. If he is willing to return to a rotation role, his possibilities would open up and potentially help him land a more substantial contract.

Should Helsley decide to convert back to starting, he would need to expand his repertoire. More than 90% of his pitches were sliders and four-seamers in 2025, according to Statcast, though he also has a curveball and a recently developed cutter in his mix.

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