Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Despite reports earlier in the off-season that Helsley, 31, could be considered as an option in someone’s starting rotation, the right-handed fireballer will pitch the ninth inning for Baltimore. He will be adding to a bullpen with plenty of potential, including former All-Star Yennier Cano, while fellow All-Star Félix Bautista recovers from shoulder surgery.

Helsley was traded to the Mets as part of a deadline deal this past summer, and things couldn’t have gone much worse for either party. Helsley pitched to a 7.20 ERA in Queens, aiding the team’s four-month descent to postseason-less baseball. After widespread reports of pitch-tipping issues, Helsley was eventually taken out of high-leverage spots. The righty, with his triple-digit fastball and tumbling slider, was eventually able to find some footing in New York, throwing seven scoreless innings to end the season, but it was too-little-too-late for the Mets.

Before being traded to New York, Helsley spent his entire career in St. Louis, pitching to a 2.67 ERA in seven years, with two trips to the All-Star game.

The post Ryan Helsley To Sign With Orioles appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gregory Soto. (Photo credits: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The disappointing end to the 2025 season for the New York Mets has been well documented. The team that once owned a league-best 45-24 record not only didn’t hold onto their division lead, but didn’t even make the playoffs. All despite having a clear path to do so on the last day of the season.

Following the disappointing season, a lot has been made of what exactly went wrong. One aspect that certainly contributed to things, and something that president of baseball operations David Stearns, himself, confirmed in his postseason press conference is that seemingly every move the team made at the trade deadline did not pan out.

With that being said, let’s take a look back at that July 31 trade deadline and see exactly how all players involved in trades the Mets made that day fared.

Deal No. 1

• Mets Receive: LHP Gregory Soto
• Orioles Receive: RHP Wellington Aracena, RHP Cameron Foster

Analysis:

A few days before the official deadline the Mets made their first move and went out and got much needed help for their bullpen. Gregory Soto, a left-handed reliever, was brought over from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for a couple pitching prospects.

Soto posted a 3.96 ERA and 3.33 FIP across 36 1/3 innings with Baltimore prior to the move. However, with the Mets those figures increased to a 4.50 ERA and 3.55 FIP across 24 innings. Soto allowed 33 hits across the 24 innings and saw his strikeout rate drop from 27.5% with Baltimore to only 21.8% with the Mets to end the season.

With that being said, the left-handed reliever was tremendous with New York his first month-plus with the team. Across his first 10 appearances, he did not allow an earned run. To take it even further, over his first 14 he only allowed an earned run once. In all, he had two scoreless debut appearances in August, then a sparkling 1.64 ERA in September. At first, the trade seemed like a tidy piece of business.

However, following suit with much of the pitching staff as a whole, Soto struggled mightily in September. In 11 September appearances Soto allowed at least a run in five of them, and of those five, in three he allowed multiple runs. In all, he posted a 7.94 ERA and allowed 20 hits across 11 1/3 September innings.

On the flip side, at the time of the deal, Wellington Aracena was the 15th-ranked prospect in Metsmerized’s midseason organizational prospect top-50 update. Meanwhile, Cameron Foster was unranked.

Aracena, who had a 2.38 ERA across 64 1/3 innings with Single-A St. Lucie prior to the deal, picked up right where he left off when he joined the Orioles’ organization. After a 23-inning run with Aberdeen (Single-A), where he posted a 2.35 ERA and 24 strikeouts, Aracena ended the season with 4 2/3 scoreless (six strikeouts) at the High-A level. The 20-year-old was only ranked 29th in Baseball America’s most recent Orioles top 30. However, a steady rise is expected if he keeps these type of performances up.

Meanwhile, Foster, 26 years old, performed decently for Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate Norfolk down the stretch. He had a 3.38 ERA across 16 innings. It would not be surprising if he gets a shot at a lower leverage bullpen role for Baltimore in the near future.

Final Verdict: 

The thought process by David Stearns and staff was correct. The Mets really needed another left-handed option in the bullpen. An extremely underrated catastrophic event for New York was losing A.J. Minter early only. And, in addition, at the time of the deal, Brooks Raley only recently returned. So, it was not clear what exactly he was going to be, and that aside, New York just needed another reliable lefty out of the bullpen.

Soto had shown to be reliable and was exactly that early on in his tenure with New York. However, ultimately, with his performance going south in September, and the fact it appears Aracena seems to be a relatively decent prospect, looking back at this trade is a bit tough.

Grade: C-

Tyler Rogers. (Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 2

• Mets Receive: LHP Tyler Rogers
• Giants Receive: OF Drew Gilbert, RHP José Buttó, RHP Blade Tidwell

Analysis:

The second deal the Mets made turned out to be comfortably the team’s best piece of business. New York acquired workhorse reliever Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for three players, two prospects and a major-leaguer, that were all once looked upon extremely positively within the organization.

By season’s end, the unorthodox thrower that is Rogers led relievers around the league in games at 81. The 34-year-0ld came to New York with a 1.80 ERA across 50 innings. Since his acquisition on July 31, Rogers appeared in 28 games for New York (53% of games since the deal), and performed very well with a 2.30 ERA across 27 1/3 innings. His play did dip slightly, but the overall sample was still very strong.

To acquire Rogers New York parted with one major leaguer and two prospects, one of which made his major-league debut by season’s end with the Giants. The two prospects, Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell, ranked 15th and 19th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s midseason organizational prospect top-50 update.

The established major leaguer was relief pitcher José Buttó. Buttó, who had thrown 167 innings across three-plus seasons with the Mets, struggled with the Giants down the stretch. In all, he posted a 4.50 ERA with San Francisco across 20 innings as he struggled mightily with walks (10). He specifically struggled in September as he posted a 7.27 ERA in the regular season’s last month.

Gilbert, who was once a top prospect in the Mets’ system as he was acquired in the Justin Verlander trade, hadn’t quite been developing in the minors how the Mets had hoped. As a result, they shipped him to San Francisco where he went 7-for-14 at the plate with Triple-A Sacramento before getting called up to make his major-league debut.

Gilbert ended up getting a 100 at-bat run to end the year, where he slashed a disappointing .190/.246/.350 (.598 OPS).  The metrics backed up the poor play at the plate, as his xBA, xwOBA, and exit velocity numbers all ranked below the league’s 25th percentile. He did play decently in the field though, as he posted a plus-two outs above average and flashed a strong arm (84th percentile arm strength).

Lastly, Tidwell, who had a cup of coffee in the majors with the Mets prior to the deal, performed well at the Triple-A level with Sacramento after the deal. Over 18 innings, he struck out 24 and only allowed three runs (1.50 ERA). He did have a couple stints on the injured list in the minors of the trade, but the performances were strong. If he can be a consistent performer at a major-league level remains to be seen.

Final Verdict: 

Rogers was superb for the Mets after the deal. He was certainly one midseason acquisition that panned out. Despite being a rental, the Mets did not exactly part with a lot either to get him.

The concerns with Gilbert, granted a smaller sample size, reared its head at the major-league level. Meanwhile, Buttó, who did not performances well down the stretch after the deal, was out of options and a relatively easier bullpen arm to replace. Lastly, Tidwell did once again flash his strong stuff at the Triple-A level, but did have to battle through some injuries.

Of the three, Tidwell seems to be the most compelling, but even he struggled a the major-league level with the Mets and a long-term starter outlook at the top level seems unlikely.

Grade: B+

Ryan Helsley. (Photo credits: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 3

• Mets Receive: RHP Ryan Helsley
• Cardinals Receive: INF Jesus Baez, RHP Frank Elissalt, RHP Nate Dohm

Analysis:

One of the more mind-boggling aspects of the trade deadline was how poorly Ryan Helsley performed after the Mets acquired the star reliever from St. Louis. Helsley had been one of the best relief pitchers in the big leagues over the last three seasons, and, despite a down season with St. Louis prior to the deal, still owned a 3.00 ERA across 36 innings. However, disaster struck early, as Helsley went on to posted a 7.30 ERA over 20 innings with New York.

That 7.30 ERA can even be looked upon as deceiving, as the veteran closer posted seven scoreless innings to end the season. Over his first 16 appearances with the team, Helsley threw 14 innings and allowed 22 hits, 20 runs (16 earned), and eight walks. Over that time, he saw his ERA rise from 2.75 to 5.14. As a result, the Mets were no longer able to trust him in high leverage situations, the area that Helsley was brought to fulfill, limiting the flexibility New York had with their bullpen down the stretch. This put other pitchers in roles they were not on the team to fulfill exacerbating the bullpens struggles during the team’s free fall.

Sometimes a change of scenery midseason, especially for a player who had spent their first seven seasons in one spot, just doesn’t work out. With that being said, Helsley was on pace to have the worst year of his career since 2021 prior to the trade. And, despite the 3.00 ERA, his fastball was getting hit hard (.406 BA, .332 xBA) with St. Louis. The minute the elite slider went south, he was left helpless with the Mets.

To acquire Helsley New York parted with infielder prospect Jesus Baez and two pitching prospects; Frank Elissalt and Nate Dohm. Baez was by far the highest-rated player the Mets gave up at the deadline as he ranked No. 7 in Metsmerized’s midseason top 50 list. Meanwhile, Dohm came in at No. 17 and Elissalt was No. 38.

Baez struggled since the move for St. Louis. He posted a .243/.303/.378 slash line (.682 OPS) which was a large drop from his .742 OPS with High-A Brooklyn previous to the trade. Even before the trade, Baez was struggling mightily with Brooklyn as he posted a .651 OPS in July. These struggles then carried over to the Cardinals’ organization. Baseball America had the 20-year-old ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 5-ranked prospect in their most recent rankings. However, that is likely to change given his struggles to end 2025.

Dohm, a third-round pick in 2024, struggled in his time after the trade to the Cardinals’ organization after impressing greatly with High-A Brooklyn (2.62 ERA, 43 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings). He posted a 5.11 ERA across 12 1/3 innings to end with the season with Peoria (High-A), but spent a lot of his time after the deal on the developmental list.

Much like his counterpart, Elissalt struggled mightily after the deal as well, posting a 5.59 ERA across 9 2/3 innings (three starts/four games) with Peoria (High-A). His season was then cut short with an injured list stint. Prior to the deal the 23-year-old performed admirably with High-A Brooklyn (3.02 ERA, 50 2/3 innings).

Final Verdict:

At the time of the trade, the thought of pairing Helsley with Edwin Díaz was tantalizing. New York envisioned pairing two of the National League’s best closers shutting down the eighth and ninth innings en route to a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, the deal did not work out in the slightest and the concerns about Helsley’s 2025 regression were exacerbated in New York. As a result, the trade looks like a complete failure.

By season’s end, the right-handed closer will depart the organization with a -0.2 fWAR. Being a rental, and given his performance, a return to New York is extremely unlikely. If it is any solace, all three of the prospects the Mets gave up in the deal performed poorly after the deal. Which, especially given how one of the pieces was rated in the organization’s top 10, and the other was encouraging on the top 15, would help lighten the blow somewhat.

Grade: F

Cedric Mullin. (Photo credits: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 4

• Mets Receive: OF Cedric Mullins
• Orioles Receive: RHP Anthony Nunez, RHP Raimón Gomez, RHP Chandler Marsh

Analysis:

One area the Mets were expected to address leading up to the deadline was the center field position. New York did just that by acquiring veteran Cedric Mullins. Mullins, a veteran of eight seasons with Baltimore, struggled mightily after the deal. With New York, he slashed .182/.284/.281 (.565 OPS) while playing uneven defense in center. The concern of acquiring Mullins was there from the start as despite a .738 OPS with Baltimore, which was the highest in his career since 2021, several of the underlying metrics pointed to regression being on the horizon.

By season’s end, Mullins ranked below the league’s 10th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG. He also had subpar hard-hit rate, struck out a decent bit, and the defensive runs saved statistic questioned his ability in the field (negative-14 overall in 2025). Of course, all these numbers were furthered by his lackluster performance in New York. However, even before the trade, all those figures were at least in the ballpark of where they ended.

New York gave up a trio of lower-end pitching prospects in the deal. Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gómez, and Chandler Marsh ranked 23rd, 32nd, and 46th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s midseason top 50 update. All three have worked out of the bullpen thus far in their careers.

Nunez was enduring a terrific season in the Mets’ system between the High-A (0.63 ERA over 14 1/3 innings) and Double-A (2.10 ERA over 25 2/3 innings) levels. Baltimore promoted the 23-year-old to the Triple-A level where he appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen, posting a 3.45 ERA.

Gómez, who was put in the spotlight earlier this season for touching 104 mph, wasn’t able to pitch after the deal due to injury. He had a 4.63 ERA across two levels in the Mets’ system prior to the deal. Lastly, Marsh threw 10 innings at the High-A level for Aberdeen, posting a 1.80 ERA and 11 strikeouts. The 23-year-old had a 2.42 ERA across 52 total minor league innings out of the bullpen this season.

Final Verdict: 

Of the four trades on the list, this is really the only one where the player did not make much sense. It was clear the Mets needed a centerfielder, however, they may have rushed into getting the wrong one.

Mullins’ play, prior to the deal indicated a ton of regression and that is exactly what happened after he was brought to town. Luckily for the Mets, they did not have to give up much for the rental. This helps lighten the blow a bit, but Mullins’ struggles were certainly a detriment to the team down the stretch.

Grade: D

The post Revisiting The Mets’ Performance At The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After coming up clutch to take two out of three in Chicago, the Mets go into the final weekend of the regular season knowing what they need to do.

Just win and take care of business in Miami.

That’s easier said than done given this team’s history against the Marlins. But, with that said, the Mets did just grind out two huge wins against the Cubs. As a result, they very much control their own destiny.

On that note, let’s recap everything from the Cubs series in 3 Up, 3 Down…

David Banks-Imagn Images

3 UP

STRIKING OUT

Yes, Nolan McLean did allow a career-high three home runs in his outing on Thursday night. However, despite that, the rookie still recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to help his team claim a vital win. It will go down as a strange outing, sure, but McLean showed his high ceiling. And, despite the five earned runs, he’s probably still in line to start Game 1 of the Wild Card. The fact that McLean was able to grind out his start despite troubles with the long ball should also be viewed as a positive.

CLUTCH HITTING

Besides the second game of the series at Wrigley, the Mets got some gargantuan hits from their offense against the Cubs. Francisco Alvarez delivered arguably one of the biggest hits of his career with a two-run blast that sealed the win in Tuesday’s opener. Brandon Nimmo also came up with a clutch three-run homer that tied the game. Then, in Thursday’s finale, Brett Baty hit a crucial three-run homer in the fourth inning that gave his team a much-needed cushion.

Credit must also go to Francisco Lindor, who enjoyed a monster series. He hit a home run in the series finale, becoming part of the 30/30 club for the third time in his career as a result. Furthermore, Lindor also led off Tuesday’s big win with a leadoff homer while also driving in three runs. All in all, the Mets got clutch hits when they needed them the most against the Cubs.

COMING UP NAILS

Speaking of clutch, the bullpen was also pretty damn impressive in Chicago. Edwin Díaz struck out five of the six batters he faced on Tuesday to help lock down the win. In all, six relievers combined to allow just one earned run in the series opener, with the bullpen called upon to take on an added workload. Ryan Helsley continued his recent resurgence in Wednesday’s game by firing two scoreless innings of relief. He’s now recorded five straight scoreless outings, allowing just two hits and two walks over that six-inning span. Then, in the finale, Díaz, Ryne Stanek, Brooks Raley and Tyler Rogers combined to toss 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two base runners in the process. With the stakes never higher, the bullpen really delivered in Chicago.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

END OF THE ROAD

The season could well be over for David Peterson. Barring a bullpen role, it seems unlikely that the veteran will now be trusted in any kind of starter role in the postseason. His concerning second-half struggles continued with just a nightmare outing in the series opener on Tuesday. Peterson was absolutely shelled, giving up five runs on five hits and lasting just 1 1/3 innings. In a critical moment, Peterson came up short and then some. Since the All-Star break, Peterson is pitching to a 6.34 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP. It sure appears as though Peterson is broken, and now is not the time to try and fix him.

TOUGH SPOT

If you want to know just how badly the Mets’ pitching philosophy has failed this year, look at Wednesday night as all the evidence you’ll ever need. Jonah Tong allowed five earned runs on seven hits across just two innings. The rookie has now given up five or more earned runs in two of his last three starts. But it isn’t Tong’s fault. He shouldn’t even be pitching in games that matter this much. He’s clearly not ready, but because of how big a hot mess the rotation is, the Mets have no choice but to throw a young starter right into the fire. It just isn’t fair. And relying on three rookie starters will more than likely burn this team come playoff time.

SLOPPY MESS

As big a series win as this was for the Mets, it is important not to get carried away. After all, they won a monster game on Tuesday only to lay a Godzilla-sized egg the very next night. And it wasn’t pretty. The team committed a bunch of self-enforced mental mistakes on the way to being beat up in a 10-3 loss. Clay Holmes committed a wild pitch and then compounded the matter with a boneheaded mental error. Sean Manaea did not look good out of the bullpen. Mark Vientos couldn’t make a routine play at the hot corner, directly leading to a five-run third inning. And the offense could only manage just four hits all night long. The Mets have proven over the last three-and-a-half months that they are a bad baseball team. They also seem incapable of building any kind of momentum. That page must now be turned in Miami if this team really wants to save its season.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Come Through In Chicago appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It seems likely that David Peterson will start Sunday on standard rest after allowing five earned runs over 1 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs, and the Mets could once again piggyback Sean Manaea with Clay Holmes on Saturday after both pitchers threw an inning out of the bullpen on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Manaea in particular struggled in that contest, however, as his ERA rose to 5.80 after giving up two earned runs.

Jonah Tong isn’t an option in Miami after starting on Wednesday, and it would come as a surprise if Kodai Senga were to be called upon after recently completing a live batting practice session in Florida that manager Carlos Mendoza described as being “just okay.”

After a busy series f0r the bullpen in Chicago, the configuration of the unit could look different in the days to come. The New York Post’s Mike Puma reported that right-hander Dylan Ross, a 13th-round pick in 2022, could join the Mets as soon as Saturday with the minor league season over. He has some command issues to iron out, but after posting a stellar 2.17 ERA with 13.3 strikeouts per nine over 54 innings this year, his big-league debut may come in a big spot for New York.

David Banks-Imagn Images

Edwin Díaz threw a combined 35 pitches over his two saves against the Cubs, though the fact that he only threw seven on Thursday after a day off on Wednesday means that he could be available on Friday. Tyler Rogers‘ status for the beginning of the Marlins series is less clear, however, after allowing an inherited runner to score over a pair of outings totaling 46 pitches in Chicago, with 15 of them coming on Thursday.

Gregory Soto threw just three pitches against the Cubs on Tuesday and has had two days off in a row, making him a well-rested option for Mendoza in Miami. Brooks Raley, the Mets’ only other left-handed reliever at the moment after designating Richard Lovelady for assignment, has given up an earned run in just one of his last 10 outings and kept Chicago scoreless over an inning and 14 pitches on Thursday, meaning he may still be available on Friday.

Ryan Helsley has rounded into form recently with five-straight scoreless appearances, and he should be good to go on Friday as well after not pitching on Thursday. Mendoza may choose to stay away from Stanek right off the bat in Miami, though, as he threw 37 pitches over two clean outings against the Cubs, with 12 of them coming on Thursday.

Huascar Brazobán had to throw 33 pitches in relief of Peterson on Tuesday, so perhaps Mendoza will avoid using him on Friday, but he should otherwise be ready if needed. Kevin Herget, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, shouldn’t have any restrictions after last pitching on September 20. He’s posted a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings for New York this season.

Other bullpen arms who are rested and currently on the 40-man roster include Jonathan Pintaro, Austin Warren, Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman, the latter three of whom have frequented the Mets as long relievers and spot starters this season. Pintaro allowed two earned runs in 2/3 of an inning in the only major league appearance of his career against the Atlanta Braves on June 25 and finished the minor league campaign with a 4.28 ERA across 82 frames. Warren, on the other hand, has pitched to a 0.96 ERA in 9 1/3 innings for the Mets while Waddell and Hagenman have posted marks of 3.45 and 4.56, respectively, in that category.

The post Mets’ Pitching Outlook for Crucial Marlins Series appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In the weeks following the trade deadline, what seemed like a boost to the bullpen turned into a disastrous acquisition in a hurry. But Helsley turned in his third straight solid outing in Friday’s 12-6 win over the Nationals. Given Helsley’s ceiling, and how he’s been trending lately, he’s making an intriguing bid to crack the Mets’ postseason roster.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Mets had an 8-6 lead in the seventh when they used Helsley on Friday. That’s the type of spot he was brought here to pitch in. He pitched a stress-free 1-2-3 inning on 15 pitches to hold the lead. He now has three consecutive scoreless outings, and four in his last five.

In that small handful of appearances, Helsley’s ERA as a Met has lowered from a ghastly 11.45 to a still-ugly 9.00. It hasn’t been the season he’s wanted, with a 4.85 ERA overall. But he was good for most of this season with the Cardinals, and he was one of the best relievers in baseball over the prior three seasons.

Helsley avoided drama on Friday, largely by getting ahead of each of the first two hitters 0-2. He retired Jorge Alfaro on three straight sliders, inducing a groundout to short. He then attacked Jacob Young with both of his primary pitches, eventually catching him looking at a slider on the outside corner. Helsely’s command was generally a lot better, with most of his pitches around the edges of the strike zone.

He threw a first-pitch ball to James Wood, but still managed to even the count at 2-2 while throwing nothing but sliders. He broke out his curveball — the only one he threw on the night — to get a lineout from Wood.

“There’s a lot to like. The way the slider, below the strike zone, getting chases and swings and misses there,” Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game. “Tried a few times to elevate the fastball, even though he didn’t get swing and miss on the nine-hole hitter, it was effective enough with the fastball. Throwing strikes but executing when he needs to.”

The damage against Helsley’s fastball has been his most obvious problem this year. Hitters entered the night hitting .433 with a .691 slugging percentage against it. Over his last two outings, he’s gotten three whiffs with the pitch and not allowed a hit. It’s a tiny sample size, but the most important takeaway is that Helsley is finding a comfortable balance with his pitches to where he can deliver shutdown outings.

“I’ve been saying, we need him,” Mendoza said. “This is a guy that’s proven before in this league. It’s good to see him out there in that situation, up two in the seventh, in high leverage. For him to get three outs was huge.”

Helsley’s continued progression will be something to keep an eye on as the regular season winds down. His final numbers aren’t going to look pretty, but him returning to form would be a massive relief in the late innings of meaningful games. The stretch run and October are all about playing your best when it matters most — and Helsley might just be one piece of the puzzle that rounds into shape at just the right time.

Helsely likely has at least a few more auditions before the Mets’ potential postseason run begins. They still need to secure a spot, up only two games in the Wild Card standings. When it gets this down to the wire, a late-innings hold could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

The post Ryan Helsley Figuring It Out appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Stanek entered in the sixth inning with runners on the corners and one out. He allowed a sacrifice fly to Otto Kemp to bring home an inherited runner, then after a walk to Bryson Stott, he struck out Donovan Walton to end the frame. Stanek stayed in for the seventh inning and struck out three in the frame, but allowed a towering home run to Bryce Harper to stretch the Phillies’ lead to 9-1. It was the sixth home run Stanek has allowed this year, but the third he’s allowed in just 18 second-half innings. Stanek, who began the year promisingly, now has a 5.44 ERA and a 6.47 mark since April 25 (48 appearances).

Helsley entered Wednesday fresh off an encouraging outing on Monday, in which he struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning. He got Brandon Marsh to ground out to start his outing on Wednesday, but gave up a booming home run to Max Kepler to extend the deficit to 10-2. The long ball was the fourth Helsley has given up in just 13 innings with the Mets, matching the total he surrendered in 36 innings for St. Louis. Kemp and Stott followed with back-to-back singles, then after Helsley uncorked a wild pitch, Kemp came in to score on a groundout from Walton. Helsley’s ERA swelled to 5.14, and it sits at an alarming 11.08 with the Mets.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Both Helsley and Stanek are set to become free agents at the end of the season, but with their recent performance, it’s fair to question whether they stay on the roster much longer.

The Mets have some intriguing internal options if they decide to replace their struggling veterans. Fireballing righty Dylan Ross has skyrocketed through the farm system this year, jumping from Brooklyn to Syracuse. Across three levels, he’s posted a 2.34 ERA with a 35.9% strikeout rate, though he also owns a 14.4% walk rate. Ross has also excelled at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just four homers and posting a strong 56.7% ground-ball rate.

Another flamethrower, Ryan Lambert, has made waves in the minor leagues this season. An eight-round pick in 2024, Lambert made it up to Double-A in 2025 and has posted a sparkling 1.66 ERA with a 39.2% strikeout rate and has allowed just one home run 48 2/3 innings across two levels. Baseball America recently ranked Lambert’s fastball among the best in MiLB.

“Lambert’s fastball stands out even among peers, as his 96.8 mph average fastball velocity, 20 inches of induced vertical break, and average spin rate of 2,691 rpm each represent the highest marks listed here,” writes Geoff Pontes. “These outlier characteristics allow his fastball to play up despite fringy command and below-average extension. The result is that Lambert is a fire-breathing righthanded reliever with a demon fastball.”

With the Mets’ Wild Card lead diminishing, the team can’t afford to wait and see if Stanek and Helsley can get righted in time for the playoffs. Both righties have had ample time to prove they can help the team, and have been the most unreliable arms in a struggling bullpen. Davis Stearns hasn’t been afraid to promote his young pitchers, and maybe it’s time for him to call up another one.

The post Time Running Out for Helsley, Stanek appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

But that’s why games are played on fields and not on paper. Philadelphia fared better against McLean than the first time they faced him, and Nola brushed aside his dreadful season to deliver a vintage start, leading to a 1-0 Phillies win. In a key game that the Mets could have and should have won, the offense failed to show up.

Nola was unusually dominant, especially considering his 9.96 ERA over his last six starts. He was rarely ever in trouble, allowing only three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. The lone threats against Nola came in the second and third innings. In the second, the Mets put runners on first and third, but Cedric Mullins struck out to end the scoring chance. In the third, Pete Alonso reached second on a two-out double, but Brandon Nimmo also struck out to end the inning.

McLean, on the other hand, was far from bad, but he did not have nearly the same kind of success he had against the Phillies less than two weeks ago. Battling with a bloodied nail on his throwing hand for most of the night, McLean was unable to control his breaking ball to the extent he’s been able to early in his career. He still lasted into the sixth inning, going 5 1/3 and allowing a run on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

The only run against McLean occurred during a second inning in which the Phillies peppered four hits—all singles—against McLean. Nick Castellanos delivered the run-scoring hit, an opposite-field single, to drive in Max Kepler from third base. McLean did a good job limiting the damage and received help from Cedric Mullins, who threw out Harrison Bader trying to stretch a single into a double.

McLean’s ability to keep the Mets in the game gave them several chances to tie the Phillies or take the lead, both against Nola and the Philadelphia bullpen. With Nola getting through six scoreless, David Robertson entered the seventh inning in a 1-0 game and silenced Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and Francisco Alvarez with ease. Robertson struck out two in the inning, Vientos and Alvarez, both on three pitches.

After Brooks Raley delivered a six-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh, Matt Strahm entered in the top of the eighth as the Mets’ next test. The Mets countered with a pair of righty pinch hitters—Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuña—batting for Brett Baty and Cedric Mullins at the bottom of the order, but neither reached base. Francisco Lindor walked to send Juan Soto to the plate as the go-ahead run, but Soto hit a bullet ground ball right at Bryson Stott to send the game to the ninth.

Ryan Helsley delivered one of his best outings as a Met in the top of the ninth, putting the Phillies down in order with strikeouts to his final two batters. Helsley stuck with his breaking pitches and threw the fastball just one time out of a total of 15 pitches. Helsley’s effectiveness gave the Mets one more chance to score just one run in the bottom of the ninth against flamethrower Jhoan Duran, who they had walked off at Citi Field just a few weeks earlier.

Pete Alonso sent Duran’s first pitch of the night back up the middle for a slow ground ball single. Brandon Nimmo followed up Alonso’s hit with a flyout to left before Mark Vientos sent a deep line drive to right field over Castellanos’ head. Ronny Mauricio, running for Alonso, headed over to third while Vientos got into second base, standing to put runners on second and third with one out. Jeff McNeil put together a good at-bat, working a 2-2 count, but was blown away with 102 miles per hour to put the Mets down to their final out.

The game fell into Francisco Alvarez’s hands, but Alvarez swung at three straight curveballs in the opposite batter’s box to end the game. One of the more excruciating losses of the season, the Mets are now eight games behind the Phillies with 18 to play and will have to hope they can hold onto their grasp of a Wild Card spot.

Statistic of the Game: Rare Company

With his start in this game, Nolan McLean became just the second pitcher in MLB history to begin his career with five starts of at least five strikeouts and fewer than three runs scored. The other pitcher was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.

Player of the Game: Nolan McLean + the Bullpen

While McLean wasn’t at his best, he gave the Mets every chance in the world to win the game. Gregory Soto, Brooks Raley, and Ryan Helsley combined for 2 2/3 perfect innings out of the bullpen in one of the more encouraging bullpen performances in some time.

On Deck

The Mets will play the second of their four-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. ET. Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.60 ERA) will be hoping to reverse his fortunes, while Ranger Suárez (11-6, 2.89 ERA) gets the ball for Philadelphia. The game will air on SNY.

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They took two out of three from the Tigers, who are now the second-best team in the American League. However, another bad outing from a struggling reliever ensured a series sweep was a bridge too far.

Nonetheless, the Mets rebounded from an embarrassing series loss to the Marlins and took care of business against a very good Detroit team. That isn’t to be sniffed at.

So, with that in mind, let’s recap all the good and all the bad from the Tigers series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

HERO BALL

Juan Soto is now becoming everything the Mets have wished for and so much more. The superstar hitter has been on an absolute heater as of late. He’s also made a habit of coming up in big spots and putting this team on his shoulders. Just look at his body of work in the Detroit series. Soto enjoyed his biggest day to date in a Mets uniform on Monday, posting six RBIs with a homer and a triple. That included a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning. For someone who has struggled with runners on base all year, that was a huge moment.

Soto also hit another homer on Tuesday, while he reached base twice and scored a run in the series finale on Wednesday. All in all, the star is hitting .417/.576/.1.125/.1.701 with 12 RBIs over his last seven games. This is the version of Soto the Mets have been waiting for.

GUTS & HEART

We’ve marveled at Nolan McLean‘s filthy stuff and high ceiling. And, thanks to his outing on Tuesday, we were able to see a different side to his game. The rookie struggled out of the gate, giving up a pair of runs in the first inning. Going up against one of the best teams in baseball, it looked set to be a long night. Instead, McLean put on his big boy pants and displayed a boatload of toughness and mental fortitude on the mound. He didn’t allow another run after that first inning, making adjustments on the fly to still give his team six innings. It was yet another tantalizing sign of McLean’s maturity and overall poise. He looks like a battle-hardened veteran out there, and it is impressive. In a rotation that is full of question marks, McLean is quickly becoming the one sure thing.

STEPPING UP

Not for the first time, Luis Torrens has really delivered with Francisco Alvarez out of the lineup. That was certainly the case in Detroit. Torrens came up with a couple of monster hits in huge spots, further underlining his value to this team. The first of those hits came in the opener on Monday. He came up with a two-run double in the top of the second inning to give his team the lead, finishing the day 3-for-3. Then, the following day, Torrens really came up clutch with a game-changing three-run homer in the fourth to set the tone and start a five-run inning. The offense never looked back following Torrens’ big-time home run. As a result, he’s now hitting .353/.389/.765 over his last six games. Torrens has really provided the Mets with some high-end stability behind the plate.

Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

TRADE DEADLINE BUST

The Ryan Helsley experiment has not been a good one. The veteran reliever has struggled greatly since being acquired at the trade deadline. Those struggles only continued in Detroit. After allowing a run on Monday, Helsley was trusted to pitch in a big spot in the finale on Wednesday. Coming into a one-run game, Helsley gave up a three-run home run to blow the game wide open and effectively seal the loss for the Mets. Now, you can certainly question Carlos Mendoza‘s decision to put Helsley in the game with his team trailing by just a run. Regardless, Helsley just looks broken and he’s now allowed 14 earned runs in just 11 innings as a Met. To put that into some context, 13.6% of Helsley’s earned runs and 3.5% of his career innings pitched have come in a Mets uniform. And at this point, the veteran just isn’t pitchable anymore.

RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS

What do you do with Sean Manaea? The lefty just doesn’t look like the same pitcher right now. He struggled yet again in his latest outing on Monday, giving up five earned runs in just 3.2 innings. That included a pair of homers. Consequently, Manaea has now allowed a total of 19 earned runs in his last five outings alone. He’s failed to pitch beyond the fifth inning in any of those starts. We’re in the final month of the regular season now and Manaea is only heading in one direction. The Mets will need stellar pitching in order to go on a deep run in October. Manaea figuring it out will be key to that.

OFF DAY

Wednesday’s loss proved to be frustrating all around. One mistake from the bullpen ultimately proved to be the difference. However, with the Mets trailing by just one run heading into the seventh inning, the offense also has to take some of the blame. The lineup went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine runners stranded on base. There were opportunities, including a bases-loaded situation in the sixth. However, Starling Marte swung on the first pitch he saw and grounded out into an inning-ending double play. That summed up the offense’s day.

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The right-handed flame-thrower, long a staple of elite relief pitching, has had a brutal welcome to New York, and Wednesday afternoon was no exception.

The Mets dropped the third game of their series to the Detroit Tigers, falling short of the sweep, and Helsley played a big role in letting this one slip away.

Down 3-2 in the seventh, the Mets were within striking distance, as long as the bullpen could hold the line. Helsley entered, only to be greeted rudely. Colt Keith singled, Gleyber Torres drew a walk, and suddenly there were two on with no outs.

Next came Kerry Carpenter. After missing with his first pitch, Helsley went back to the heater. Carpenter was ready, turning on 100 MPH and launching it just over the right-field wall for a three-run homer. The Tigers seized the momentum and never gave it back. The Mets went on to lose, 6-2.

For Helsley, the nightmare continues. After a strong first half with the Cardinals (a 3.00 ERA across 36 innings), he’s completely unraveled in Queens. In 14 games, he’s faced 62 batters over just 11 innings, allowing 18 hits, eight walks, and 14 earned runs. That’s nearly six baserunners per outing, with a WHIP north of 2.3.

After the game, Helsley sounded as frustrated and confused as Mets fans watching at home.

“I’m trying anything and everything. It feels like I make a good pitch and it gets hit, then mistakes obviously get hit as well,” he said. “It feels like guys are swinging at 100 like it’s 91 right now…when you feel like you have to be perfect out there, it’s not a good thing.”

Still, Mets players have faith that the elite reliever will turn it around. 

“We all have a lot of confidence in Ryan,” Mets starter Clay Holmes said. “He has the makeup, he has the work ethic. You’ve got to keep moving forward and keep believing in yourself.”

Manager Carlos Mendoza also dismissed the idea that New York’s bright lights were overwhelming Helsley, pointing out that he’s thrived as a closer in a big baseball town before.

“How do we help this guy?” Mendoza continued, stating that the Mets’ responsibility is to help Helsley get back on track. “Right now, we’re not doing that.”

The post Ryan Helsley’s Struggles Continue in Wednesday’s Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Down 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning, a strike away from wasting a bases-loaded, no-out threat, Soto unloaded on a signature Charlie Morton curveball. The ball, which stayed too much in the zone, was blasted over the wall in right-center field for a grand slam. Just the second grand slam of his career, it was the first of Soto’s Mets career, and it turned a 3-2 score in favor of the Tigers to 6-3 in favor of the Mets.

Soto then delivered another massive moment at the top of the sixth, with the Tigers having tied the game since his slam two innings before. Against funky-throwing lefty Drew Sommers, Soto grounded a ball down the right field line and not only drove in two runs, but recorded his first triple of the season. Brandon Nimmo followed with an RBI single to give the Mets their ninth run of the game.

Even with Soto’s heroics and a total of nine runs through six innings, the Mets were still struggling to stay afloat. Sean Manaea delivered the typical grueling, ineffective start we’ve seen too often from him lately. The damage started immediately when Jahmai Jones led off the game with a no-doubt home run on the first pitch he saw.

Wenceel Pérez then took Manaea deep with a two-run shot in the third, putting the Tigers ahead of the Mets after Luis Torrens‘ two-run double had given the Mets the lead an inning prior. When Juan Soto responded with his grand slam to give Manaea a three-run cushion, Manaea went back out and allowed two runs and four hits in the fourth inning, being pulled with an out to go. He finished the game with five runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings, raising his ERA from an ugly 5.01 to an even worse 5.60. With Charlie Morton also being chased early, both teams were forced into early bullpen games with 11 combined runs already across through four innings.

This is Soto’s 1st HR of 2025 with more than 1 runner on base
pic.twitter.com/5Q7h7YzkbM

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) September 1, 2025

The Mets went down in order in the top of the fifth inning, but the Tigers kept their foot on the gas and tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Gregory Soto allowed a couple of hits before Ryne Stanek was brought in with runners on the corners and one out. The Tigers were able to score easily when a Stanek pitch made it to the backstop, but the Mets avoided further trouble as Stanek allowed a flyout and a sharp lineout to end the inning.

With Soto and Nimmo combining to give the Mets another three-run lead in the sixth, the Mets added on an inning later in the seventh to put themselves ahead by four for the first time. An error and a walk put runners on first and second with no outs, and a Luis Torrens sacrifice bunt and a Brett Baty fielder’s choice groundout combined to score the Mets’ 10th run of the day.

The Mets’ four-run lead didn’t last long, though. Tyler Rogers had stabilized things a bit with a scoreless sixth inning, but the volatile Ryan Helsley made just five pitches in the seventh and allowed a run before coming out. The first two batters of the inning ambushed him on first-pitch fastballs and hit them hard, one of which was pulled for a double and one was lined for an out. Helsley then recorded a groundout before Zach McKinstry put another first pitch into play, knocking an RBI single to make it a 10-7 game. Brooks Raley bailed out Helsley by recording the final out of the inning to keep the Mets up three with six outs to go.

Raley remained in the game in the eighth and allowed the Tigers to cut into the lead once more, letting Jahmai Jones score after he led off the inning with a double. Raley recorded two outs but was pulled to allow Edwin Díaz to complete a four-out save with a two-run lead. Spencer Torkelson hit a long fly ball off Díaz, but Nimmo reeled it in in front of the wall in left field to complete the eighth.

Díaz had a couple of hard-hit balls against him in the ninth inning, one that went foul and missed a home run by inches, and one that was lined and caught in center field. Díaz, though, was his typical dominant self as he recorded two strikeouts to clinch a 10-8 Mets win. With the win, the Mets remain four games ahead of the Reds in the NL Wild Card Race.

Stat of the Game: A Couple of “Firsts” for Soto

Juan Soto’s huge game gave him a couple of firsts in a Mets uniform. His grand slam was not only his first as a Met, but it was his first home run as a Met with more than one runner on base. Soto also recorded his first triple as a Met after he had four a season ago with the Yankees.

Soto also tied his career-high for RBIs in a game with six, which he had previously recorded in 2023 when he was with the Padres.

Player of the Game: Juan Soto

The Mets needed all the run support they could get in this game with Sean Manaea making things difficult, and Juan Soto delivered. In five plate appearances, Soto went 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a triple, two walks, and six RBIs. It was one of his best games in a Mets uniform, and he now owns a .915 OPS on the season.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series with the Tigers Tuesday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. Nolan McLean (3-0, 0.89 ERA) takes the mound for New York, while Detroit’s starter is still to be determined. The game will air on SNY.

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