Ryan Helsley
#21 RP · Orioles
Relief Man Award '24All-MLB 1st Team '24All-MLB First Team '24All-MLB 2nd Team '22All-MLB Second Team '22
Height
6'2"
Weight
235 lbs
Age
31
College
Northeastern State
Draft
2015, Rd 5, #161
Experience
7 yrs
Bats/Throws
R/R
A-
A-
D+
N/A
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The Verdict on Ryan, in One Read
On the field, Ryan Helsley grades out as an excellent RP for Orioles (A- Performance). That places him 65th of 389 graded relief pitchers. The money matches the play — the Contract Value Index lands at A-, a clear bargain. The public read is negative (D+ Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score.
Career StatsA-
| Year | Team | GP | ERA | W-L | K | WHIP | IP | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 310 | 2.9424822 | 31-20 | 392 | 1.1775984 | 0.0 | 112 |
| 2026 | | 12 | 2.53 | 0-2 | 15 | 1.31 | 10.2 | 7 |
| 2025 |
Current Contract
Length
2 years
Total Value
$28.0M
Guaranteed
$16.8M
AAV
$14.0M/yr
Guaranteed %60%
Contract Value Index (CVI)
A-
Great Value
OverpayFair ValueGreat Value
Among relief pitchers at this AAV tier, Ryan Helsley earns a A- Contract Value Index. The Orioles are paying $14M annually over two years for an established closer whose 2024 pedigree—a Relief Man Award and All-MLB 1st Team selection—justifies a premium salary, yet his current durability profile tempers what that investment actually yields in 2026 and beyond. At $14M per year, Helsley sits at the market rate for a reliable back-end reliever with closer credentials, which is fair value on paper; the problem is the gap between paper and practice—early 2026 production (12 games before elbow inflammation sent him to the injured list in June) cannot sustain two full seasons of top-tier performance if injury recurs. A 31-year-old established veteran entering the final years of his prime is still capable of delivering dominant relief innings when healthy, but the recent IL stint and the Orioles' subsequent signings of multiple relief arms signal organizational hedging against exactly that scenario. For a team sitting at 34-40 with 103 days left in the regular season, paying full freight for a closer whose availability is now a live question represents fair-to-slight-overpay territory, and the A- grade reflects that middle ground: the contract is defensible given his 2024 credentials and starter-level strikeout stuff, but it assumes durability that the elbow inflammation has now cast into doubt. His value will be determined almost entirely by whether he can return cleanly and log consecutive healthy innings; until then, the goodwill that surrounded him pre-injury has been reset to cautious skepticism.
Performance Analysis
A-
Contracts in the Same Value Band
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the A band — a quick read on where Ryan's contract sits relative to comparable money.
How Ryan Compares at the Position
Ryan Helsley ranks 65th of 389 graded relief pitchers by performance. That slots Ryan between Andrew Wantz (A-) just ahead and Nick Davila (A-) just behind.
Graded higher
Andrew WantzRaysA-Griffin JaxRaysA-Andrew KittredgeOriolesA-Ryan HelsleyA-
Graded lower
Nick DavilaMarinersTransaction History
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About this player
Ryan Helsley is a player in his 7th MLB season listed at RP for the Orioles. FanVerdicts covers every MLB player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on Ryan Helsley, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index A-, Performance A-, Sentiment D+.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when MLB game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
For league-wide context, the MLB hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The MLB player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.
