The Ryan Helsley thought every NY Mets fan has swiped left on

So far in a short sample, the additions the New York Mets have made at the 2025 trade deadline have been a mixed bag. Guys like Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto have been pretty good since putting on the orange and blue. At the same time, guys like Cedric Mullins have left fans wanting more. These struggles are amplified by the team seemingly getting worse since all these upgrades were made.

However, no one has struggled more in their short time in Queens than reliever Ryan Helsley. Over his five and a third innings in a Mets uniform, he has an ERA of 8.84 with seven strikeouts, three walks, and a WHIP of 2.25. He's also been tagged with two losses in that stretch. Not only have these struggles changed fans' opinion on his role in the bullpen for the rest of the season, but also what his potential future role could be.

Helsley was once seen as a backup option if Edwin Diaz left, not anymore

Despite all the drama that has gone on with the Mets' bullpen this season, Edwin Diaz has been the one reliever both the team and fans could rely on. In 46 innings, he has an ERA of 1.57, with 68 strikeouts, 17 walks, a 0.913 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 255. He's also notched 23 saves in 25 opportunities. It's the best he's looked since tearing his right patellar tendon in 2023, and has reminded everyone of his 2022 self.

As much as fans enjoyed watching Diaz dominate, it makes it more likely that Diaz will opt out of his contract at the end of this season. Although Diaz is the highest-paid reliever at $ 20 million, given the recent surge in reliever contracts, it's likely he can well exceed that number. With him potentially being the best reliever in the 2025 free agent class, he likely could land a contract close to $25 million annually.

With how David Stearns has valued pitching over his first two years as President of Baseball Operations, it's unknown if he's willing to make that type of investment in a reliever. The largest contract he's ever given a reliever was the two-year deal he gave to AJ Minter, worth $22 million, $11 million annually. This is nine million less than what Diaz is currently making and almost 15 million less than his potential earnings.

The thought was that if Diaz got too expensive, the Mets could pivot to re-signing Helsley and make him the closer. While Helsley is a free agent at the end of the year, his demands for a deal would be closer to what Stearns is comfortable giving. Spotrac currently has him at a market value of $15.9 million, just a little higher than what the Mets gave Minter. He's someone who could fill the hole left by Diaz, having secured 105 saves with the Cardinals, and cost the Mets a lot less than Diaz.

But with how bad he's been, that's something the Mets can no longer consider doing. We have to question whether or not Helsley has the ability to pitch in New York, let alone be a replacement for Diaz. At this point, it's a better question to ask if Helsey will even be a Met in 2026.