The New York Mets spent last season searching for stability in a bullpen that never found its footing, and Ryan Helsley became the most visible example of that spiral. He entered MLB Free Agency carrying the weight of that rough finish, yet nearly 15 teams jumped in right away. Now Ryan Helsley storms into free agency with a Mets collapse on his back, yet front offices are treating him like a pitcher reborn. His market tells a different story than his final weeks with the Mets. Teams see upside, not disaster. And Helsley insists the reason is simple: he fixed the flaw that wrecked his last two months with the Mets.
He didn’t sugarcoat what happened. “It was the hardest thing I’ve gone through as a pitcher in the big leagues,” Helsley said. Even with a 99 mph fastball and elite swing-and-miss numbers, hitters crushed his four-seamer in predictable spots. First pitch. Behind in the count. Anywhere they expected heat. What confused teams, and Helsley, was how his stuff could look that good but produce results that bad.
Then the film revealed everything. He was tipping pitches. “It was pretty obvious,” he admitted. His hand position at set became a tell. Hitters saw it. Models confirmed it. And once that pattern locked in, every mistake snowballed.
A Fix, a New Market, and a Second Chance After the Mets Collapse
By the time the Mets suggested lowering his hand placement, the season had already spun out. But the adjustment stuck. Now, teams see the same pitcher who saved 49 games for St. Louis and still posted elite strikeout rates even during his collapse. That’s why clubs like the Tigers, who even imagine him as a starter, moved quickly. In this MLB Free Agency, Ryan Helsley is trying to turn the page on his Mets collapse and show teams the version of himself that never really went away.
Helsley is open to adding a new pitch. Maybe a two-seamer. Maybe a changeup. Anything to stay unpredictable. But his belief never changed. “I still believe I can be who I want to be,” he said.
If he’s right, the next stop in his career won’t be about recovery, it’ll be about resurgence when the lights go bright again.
