Ryan Helsley figured his days in St. Louis were numbered. The Cardinals were stuck hovering around .500 at MLB’s July 31 trade deadline, intent on cutting payroll as they stare at another October from the couch.
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After signing him to a one-year deal worth more than $8 million ahead of the season, the front office saw Helsley as a valuable trade chip. Manager Oliver Marmol said Helsley had earned a chance to play “meaningful baseball.” And sure enough, the two-time All-Star was one of several relievers acquired by the New York Mets at the deadline, a move the Mets hope will help secure a postseason berth.
“I’m excited. I spent 11 years [in the Cardinals organization], but I’m excited to be here and be on such a great team,” Helsley told reporters after one of his first outings in New York.
Helsley had served as the Cardinals closer since 2022, racking up 103 total saves during that stretch, including an MLB-best 49 saves in 2024, earning him National League Reliever of the Year honors.
God is good 🙏🏼 https://t.co/XEATc2K646
— Ryan Helsley (@_RHelsley) September 28, 2024
He now joins a loaded bullpen that was already anchored by one of the game’s best closers in Edwin Diaz, so Helsley will shift to more of a setup role. But he doesn’t mind, he said.
“[Díaz] got the ninth. He is one of the best closers in the game,” Helsley said. “He has been one of the best for seven years, so he definitely deserves that role. If I need to throw the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, I’m glad to do so.”
Helsley has made a quick impact, tossing three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed. His effectiveness will be key for the Mets as they cling to the National League’s final wild-card spot, though they are still within striking distance of overtaking the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East division lead.
Welcome to Queens, Helsley 🔔 pic.twitter.com/3a6iJjJLWS
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 2, 2025
But whether the season ultimately ends up with a World Series parade or the Mets miss the playoffs, Helsley has said his faith in God keeps him grounded whether he experiences success or failure. As a reliever, as quickly as he’s closed out games, he’s also been on the other end by giving up walk-off hits.
“Baseball is a sport of failure and the Bible has a lot to teach us about failure and ways we can get through the ups and downs of life,” Helsley said in January at a Western Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my faith.”
Helsley said that former Cardinals teammate Tommy Edman, who’s now with the L.A. Dodgers, recommended he speak at the event.
“It’s really cool to all be gathered here, in God’s honor, in His name, and to think I’m that important that everybody wants to hear from me is pretty crazy,” Helsley told KHQA.
Growing up in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Helsley and his brothers were often in church with his parents and grandparents. That foundation has helped him live out his faith in his profession.
“I think the biggest way baseball influences my faith is by me trying to live a life and show others Christ in me and hoping that they can see Him through me by the way I act and talk, in the way I go about my business,” Helsley told His Huddle in 2021. “… God has a plan made out for all of us and we can find comfort in knowing that the one true King is in control of everything.”
Helsley has also been public about his faith by participating in Christian Day events with the Cardinals and sharing about God on social media. His Instagram bio says he’s “Saved by grace through faith” and he often hashtags “GIG,” meaning “God is good.” His X profile mentions Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Along with Helsley and Diaz, the Mets will also count on newly acquired relievers Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto to lock down wins. Relief pitching is often a difference-maker in the postseason, so Helsley and company have the chance to be a major reason why the Mets have any success down the stretch.
“Everyone has nasty stuff down there,” All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso told reporters. “It’s tough at-bats from everybody. I’d hate to be the [opposing hitter] in the batter’s box. We have some great additions and it’s exciting. They have great stuff.”
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