Nationals Should Take Big Swing on High-Profile Free Agent Reliever
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No one quite knows how the Washington Nationals are going to operate this winter.
Right now, it's clear that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni is getting some of his preferred front office guys in place after dismissing some longtime executives from the previous regime, as he has decided to hire Devin Pearson and Andrew Wright away from the Boston Red Sox.
But once the 2025 World Series concludes, it will be time for Toboni to make his stamp on the franchise during his first winter in charge, whether that's by opting to continue down the long-term rebuilding path or by augmenting this roster by adding some veterans in free agency.
If the Nationals decide to explore the open market and want to make a splash, then the clear area that needs to be addressed is their bullpen after that unit finished with the worst ERA across the majors this past season.
Nationals Should Go After Ryan Helsley
Someone who is set to become a free agent is Ryan Helsley, the 2024 Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year winner with the St. Louis Cardinals who was shipped to the New York Mets ahead of the trade deadline this season.
What makes him an intriguing target for Washington is the fact that he struggled during the second half with the Mets, pitching to a concerning 7.20 ERA across 22 appearances where he was 43 points below the league average in ERA+.
There's a good chance that impacted his value on the open market, even if it was just a small blemish on his otherwise impressive resume. Spotrac now has his market value at three years and roughly $41 million, which is still a hefty price tag for a reliever, but is likely lower that it would have been if he had performed well in New York.
If that's actually the ballpark figure for what the flamethrowing right-hander is going to get this offseason, then the Nationals should go after him to add a legit bullpen arm to their relief staff.
Numbers Suggest Ryan Helsley Will Bounce Back
While it was not pretty for Helsley with the Mets, the overall numbers for the 30-year-old on the season was a 4.50 ERA across 58 appearances with 63 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched. He also was 21-for-30 in save opportunities, including going 21-for-26 as the Cardinals' closer before the trade.
Perhaps some of his struggles could be attributed to the fact that he wasn't used in that role in New York. It was an abrupt shift he had to get used to in a hurry since the Mets already had Edwin Diaz as their established ninth-inning shutdown man. His expected ERA was also 3.86 compared to his actual mark of 4.50, which suggests there was some bad luck involved throughout the season.
One of the main issues Helsley dealt with was his four-seam fastball getting lit up by opposing hitters, which has normally been a strength of his in the past based on his high velocity being in the 99th percentile.
Batters had a staggering .422 batting average and .667 slugging percentage when facing that pitch, but the expected batting average and expected slugging percentage was .322 and .538, respectively, which once again, suggested there was some bad luck involved.
All of that is to point out that Helsley could be poised for a bounce back in 2026 wherever he lands, and it would be wise for the Nationals to spend money on the right-hander to make him a key part of this bullpen going forward.
