Mets' major trade-deadline addition is off to brutal start

When he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals the past four years, Ryan Helsley was one of the most effective relief pitchers in all of baseball. The New York Mets acquired him just before the trade deadline in the hopes that he could strengthen their bullpen.

So far, it has been a brutal fit. 

Helsley had another meltdown for the second game in a row on Friday night, allowing two runs in one-third of an inning, contributing to the Mets blowing yet another lead and losing for the 14th time in their past 16 games. 

This time it was an 11-9 loss to the Seattle Mariners. 

If this were a one-time issue for Helsley with the Mets it might be easy to write it off as a bad night and not worry too much about it. But it isn't just a one-night thing for him. He has struggled in just about every outing since the trade and has now allowed nine runs in his seven outings over just 5.1 innings of work. 

There are a couple of ways to look at this.

On one hand, it's still a very small sampling of games and Helsley is still adjusting to a new team, a new ballpark and all of the changes that come with a player being traded. It's a chaotic time for a player, and they may not always be on top of their game in the weeks after a move. 

Relief pitchers can also be the most volatile position on a baseball team, with otherwise-dominant relievers suddenly going through a rut and previously mediocre relievers suddenly becoming lights out. 

There is still time for Helsley to get back on track and get back to the pitcher he was for the Cardinals.

But the Mets are also not in a position where they can be overly patient here, and there is certainly going to be frustration with fans given the way the season is going. The Mets have been fading in the playoff race for weeks now and are barely holding onto a playoff spot. Every loss that adds up is only increasing the pressure on the individual players and the team as a whole. 

Helsley was brought in to help put the Mets over the top. Right now he is one of the players contributing to their slide.