Guardians fall even further behind AL's arms race after Orioles latest signing

Last week the Texas Rangers kicked off the hot stove season in the American League by trading Marcus Semien to the Mets in exchange for Brandon Nimmo. Then the Red Sox acquired Sonny Gray in a trade with the Cardinals. Then the Blue Jays inked Dylan Cease to a seven-year contract. 

Now the Orioles are in the mix, as Baltimore signed closer Ryan Helsley to a two-year contract on Saturday to a two-year, $28 million deal. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and the contract by The Athletic’s Katie Woo. 

While it’s another move made by a team outside the American League Central, it’s also another move that brings an impact player over to the AL who could potentially stand in the Guardians’ way once the postseason rolls around. 

The rest of the American League continues to get better around the Guardians 

Helsley joins the Orioles after a season where he posted a 4.50 ERA with 21 saves in 56 innings with the Cardinals and Mets. That said, it was a tale of two seasons for the 31-year-old reliever, as he had a 3.00 ERA in the first half with the Cardinals before posting an unsightly 7.20 ERA with the Mets after being acquired at the trade deadline. 

Still, that rough showing didn’t stop the Orioles from offering him a top-shelf deal to be their closer in 2026. 

He was at his best with the Cardinals. He recorded a 2.67 ERA in 299 2/3 innings with the Cardinals from 2019 to ‘25, and led all of baseball with 49 saves in 2024. 

He’ll now join an Orioles team that entered the offseason looking for a closer since Félix Bautista will be out until at least August with a shoulder injury. Adding Helsley to the fold will give former Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz a new weapon to use in the back of his bullpen. 

Even though it wouldn’t have made sense for the Guardians to break the bank for Helsley since they already have Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis at the back of their bullpen, it still stings to see him join an AL team after being his entire career in the junior circuit. 

Helsley is one of the best relievers in baseball (even if his showing with the Mets last year wasn’t great), and he’ll provide Baltimore with a much-needed stable presence in the ninth inning. 

While it could be worse (the Tigers were among the teams interested in him), Helsley is just another weapon the Guardians will have to deal with during their quest toward the American League pennant.