Orioles find out value of early free agency expenditure in Opening Day win over Twins

The Baltimore Orioles made one of the first big signings of MLB free agency in the offseason by landing closer Ryan Helsley. That move did not take long to look good as Helsley got the save in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.

It was a good start for the 31-year-old native Oklahoman who is trying to rebound after a tough 2025 season. He looked to be his usual self for the first half of the year with the St. Louis Cardinals, but after he got traded to the New York Mets, the wheels completely fell off.

Orioles look good for signing Ryan Helsley after Opening Day save

The two-time All-Star had a 7.20 ERA in 22 appearances with New York. He clearly did not look right, and he said that he was tipping his pitches, which is why the Orioles probably felt comfortable bringing him aboard on a two-year, $28 million deal.

It would be one thing if he suddenly lost five ticks on his fastball, but fixing an issue like tipping your pitches is fairly easy to do, so if he has that figured out, it would not be a huge shock if he returned to the form he showed for years in St. Louis.

Helsley led the league with 49 saves in 2024 for the Cardinals, so this is a guy who is not just a good closer when he is right; he is capable of being one of the best closers in the game, which is why Baltimore signed him.

The Orioles may even have gotten him for a steal, depending on how things work out. Obviously, it is just the first game of the year, and one save doesn't mean a whole lot, but if he ends up being elite again, his contract will look paltry compared to the ones that other free-agent closers got.

The only reason that the Orioles were able to get him for the price they did is because of his struggles in New York. Had he not experienced that big drop-off, he probably would have gotten a contract closer to the three-year, $69 million deal that Edwín Díaz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's far too early to declare the Helsley signing an unmitigated success, but the fact that he looked really sharp down in Florida during spring training and then shut the door on Opening Day by striking out three batters makes the Orioles look awfully smart.