The MLB trade deadline was a time for the St. Louis Cardinals to ship off some of their players for prospects. While none of the players traded away were signed beyond 2025, they did move fan favorite closer Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets.
Helsley has expressed his interest in returning to the Cardinals once he's a free agent, though he needs to finish out the 2025 season with the Mets before making such a decision. However, it's been a rough go of things lately for Helsley.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com highlighted in a recent piece how the Mets and Helsley believe he is tipping his pitches. Both are working to figure out how he's tipping his pitches, with the former Cardinals All-Star struggling in his Mets tenure.
Helsley Off to a Rough Start in New York
Helsley was one of the top relievers traded at the deadline, and while some have struggled with their new teams, none have struggled more than Helsley so far.
In his 11 outings with the Mets, the former Cardinals closer has a 10.38 ERA, three losses, and four blown saves. Across 8.2 innings pitched, he's allowed 13 hits, 14 runs, two home runs, seven walks, while striking out 11.
He began with a few decent outings, even though he allowed four runs, none were earned. But, in his next seven appearances, he allowed 10 earned runs in 5.1 innings of work, good for a 16.88 ERA. With these struggles, it wouldn't be a surprise if he were tipping pitches. The Mets firmly believe he is, as DiComo described.
"Almost immediately upon Helsley's arrival in early August," DiComo writes, "team officials became convinced that he was tipping."
With the issue known to both Helsley and the Mets, they were able to identify what could be causing opposing batters to get an idea of what pitch is coming.
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"Helsley and Mets coaches have since identified the issue as a 'little tick' the right-hander makes with his arms when coming set," DiComo revealed. That arm position changes based on whether Helslsey is throwing a fastball or slider, which 'makes it a whole lot easier to hit.'"
Knowing what pitch is coming is a huge advantage for a hitter. For pitchers, it's a major issue that needs to be immediately addressed. What makes this case so interesting is that with the Cardinals, while Helsley wasn't at his best, he still had a solid 3.00 ERA.
But the moment he joined the Mets, his pitch-tipping issue became prominent. The former Cardinals fan favorite closer is struggling with his new team, and it's due in large part to tipping his pitches.
With the Mets and Helsley identifying the cause, the 31-year-old closer is looking to rebound from a terrible start to his Mets career.
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