Ryan Helsley explains what went wrong during disastrous Mets tenure

The New York Mets acquiring relief pitcher Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 2025 trade deadline proved to be one of the decisions responsible for why the Mets aren't taking part in the ongoing postseason tournament. 

Helsley recently offered his reasoning for why he was mostly a flop with the Amazins over the final two months of the campaign. 

Going from St. Louis Cardinals to New York Mets wasn't easy for Ryan Helsley

"I didn’t think it was going to be as hard a transition as it was," Helsley admitted, as Will Sammon of The Athletic shared on Friday. "I think it’s only human nature to want to show your value, probably press a little too hard, too much, maybe overthink things or overwork things instead of being the same guy I had been the last four years."

The Mets landing Helsley so he could serve as a setup man for elite closer Edwin Diaz was widely praised among members of the baseball community in late July. After all, the 31-year-old who is set to reach free agency after the upcoming World Series was responsible for a 3.00 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts over 36 innings of work with the Cardinals when he made the move to Queens. 

For the most part, the Mets didn't get that version of Helsley. Across 20 innings with the National League East side, he posted a 7.20 ERA with a 1.80 WHIP and 11 walks. While he didn't allow a single run in his final seven innings of work, the damage was already done regarding the Mets' collapse. 

Will Ryan Helsley bounce back from Mets stint?

By late August, the Mets determined that Helsley had been tipping his pitches. 

"I made a couple of mechanical changes, posture changes with my hands, so that’s a big adjustment after pitching the same way for the majority of my career," Helsley explained. "But I think it’ll benefit me in the long run to be there and not have to worry about possibly tipping again."

The previously mentioned Diaz is expected to opt out of his deal, and re-signing him could be the top priority for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns this month. As for Helsley, he's hoping that clubs will focus on what he was when he earned 2024 Reliever of the Year Award honors rather than what he did with the Mets as it pertains to free agency. 

"Hopefully they see me as a backend guy," Helsley added. "I feel like I’ve shown I can do that in my career over the last four seasons. I think the last month or so that I’ve struggled here, a lot of things can be attributed to it. And even the game’s greatest players go through it. In free agency, teams are more willing to pay you on 'stuff.' There are more things teams can quantify nowadays than ERA."