Closer Ryan Helsley has passed his physical and signed his contract with the Orioles.

Helsley agreed to terms over the weekend on a two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out after 2026. The right-handed will receive a $500,000 bonus if he’s traded, according to The Athletic.

The Orioles announced the signing tonight but only confirmed the years and opt-out.

The hunt for a closer led the Orioles to Helsley, 31, who ranked first in the majors with 49 saves while pitching for the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting.

He also won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the league’s top reliever.

The best part of Thanksgiving might be the leftovers. The holiday stretches for days and days.  

Mailbags also can be stretched and they won’t turn different colors if those days become weeks. They also don’t create dirty dishes and pans that need soaking.

Let's dig into these leftovers.  

What do you think of Zac Gallen for our rotation? We have a ton of  Scott Boras players, so Mike Elias seems to be comfortable working with him. Gallen cannot be the main addition, but if we can get another pitcher like Ranger Suárez or Framber Valdez in addition to him, I am more than OK with that.
As long as you’re happy. But seriously, I would have shown a little more enthusiasm a few years ago, when his ERA was 2.54, or even 3.47 and 3.65 the next two years. It was 4.83 in 33 starts this year, and his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings were the lowest of his career. But he would be a nice addition to the rotation. Maybe not the “main” guy, but on the other hand – and there’s usually two – would it be that bad if Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Zac Gallen comprised the top three? Come on, be honest with me.

Roch, have the Orioles explained in any detail what Mike Shildt's duties will be? His title gives me the impression that he's going to be in charge of player development in the minor leagues. Who was doing the work that he will now be doing? This feels like a big change to me.
Ha, you said “duties.” You also misspelled his name, as did the poster of the next question, but I made the necessary corrections in a rare bit of editing. S-H-I-L-D-T. The Orioles haven’t announced the hire, which leaves us to speculate and assume. Upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction means he’ll work with players at Triple-A and Double-A. I don’t think anyone else had the title. I checked the staff listing. We’ll find out more later, but he seems like a really smart hire given his past experience in player development and the rest of his resume, including successful manager. Anything he can do to better prepare prospects for the majors will be a big asset.

The Orioles aren’t tip-toeing into the upcoming Winter Meetings.

Mike Elias got his power-hitting right-handed bat when he traded for outfielder Taylor Ward. He got his closer yesterday by reaching agreement with Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million contract, which a source confirmed last night.

Executives won’t convene in Orlando until Dec. 7. Elias might check another box on his list before his flight lands.

Two starting pitchers, at least, are priorities for a team whose rotation posted a 4.65 ERA this year that ranked 24^th in the majors, traded Grayson Rodriguez and apparently won’t bring back Zach Eflin or Tomoyuki Sugano. Elias indicated that he could pursue another impact bat, and he’d like to find a center fielder to provide options beyond Colton Cowser and Leody Taveras. The Orioles might not be able to carry three catchers, but he could use more depth at the position, just in case. A true utility infielder also might be desired.

Sleeves aren’t rolled down. Ward and Helsley just scratched the surface.

The Orioles remained hopeful that they could get back Félix Bautista sometime after the break, but they had to find a closer to assist in their push to go from last place to first in 2026.

They didn’t wait for the Winter Meetings.

Multiple reports have the Orioles agreeing to terms with closer Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million deal pending the results of a physical. The contract includes an opt-out.

Bautista had surgery in August to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. He didn’t pitch after July 20, and he missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

Helsley, 31, was drawing interest from the Tigers as a potential starter, but all 297 of his appearances in seven major league seasons came in relief. He led the majors with 49 saves in 53 chances with the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young voting. He also won the Trevor Hoffman award as the league’s top reliever.

Sammy Stewart’s life story is filled with chapters documenting his athletic successes, including a World Series championship with the Orioles in 1983, and tragedies that left him incarcerated, homeless and broken.

A childhood friend wants to pen the final one.

David Cody grew up with Stewart in the small town of Swannanoa in western North Carolina. They played baseball together. Everyone in the community had a bat and glove. None were better than Stewart, a major league pitcher for 10 seasons, the first eight with the Orioles, who signed him as an amateur free agent out of tiny Montreat College.

Stewart and Cody attended Charles D. Owen High, a 2A school where former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and NBA center Brad Daugherty also roamed the halls. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Daughtery was the first-overall pick in the 1986 draft and a five-time All-Star who retired as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Why isn’t Stewart included in the Charles D. Owens and Buncombe County Halls of Fame?

The Orioles didn’t make any roster moves or hires yesterday. News didn’t break or leak.

The next important date is Dec. 7, the start of baseball’s Winter Meetings at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. That’s a switch from the Swan and Dolphin hotel that’s hosted in past years.

Mike Elias will bring a shopping list that’s reminiscent of the one he carried to Nashville in 2023. He’s trying to find a couple of starting pitchers, with one of them worthy of high placement in the rotation, and he needs a closer.

The Corbin Burnes trade wasn’t finalized until Feb. 1, about two months after veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel signed a deal that paid $12 million and included a $1 million buyout and $13 million team option for 2025. He was designated for assignment Sept. 18 and released a week later.

Good first half, though.

The Orioles have two openings on their 40-man roster and incentive to improve the depth in their farm system. They aren’t obligated to shut down over the holiday. Business as usual isn't banned.

They made three moves on Thanksgiving 2024, none of which garnered much attention except to briefly interrupt dinners or the cleanup afterward. Infielder Jeremiah Jackson, left-hander Raúl Alcantara and outfielder Franklin Barreto agreed to minor league deals.

Alcantara was released from Double-A Chesapeake’s roster in early August without appearing in a game. Barreto was released on Aug. 31 and still hasn’t played in the majors since 2020.

Jackson turned out to be worth the fuss that wasn’t made for him. He appeared in 48 games with the Orioles, batted .276/.328/.447 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 21 RBIs, and has a chance to break camp next spring in a utility role.

Having him in the organization is one reason for the club to be thankful. Today seems like the appropriate time to mention five others.

In the latest unexpected development in the offseason, former Padres manager Mike Shildt is joining the Orioles to work in player development.

According to a source, Shildt has been hired as upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction. Samuel Vega is going from Latin American coordinator of instruction to lower-level coordinator of instruction.

Shildt, 57, announced his retirement last month after managing the Padres to back-to-back playoff appearances, saying "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."

The news came nine days after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in the National League Wild Card series.

Shildt compiled a 183-141 record as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season.

We’re a day away from Thanksgiving gluttony and I’ve got a mailbag that’s already stuffed.

You ask, I answer and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2009 original. That’s right, 2009. You can look it up if you navigate the internet better than me.

The only editing here is to remove the Jell-O salad that your crazy aunt insisted on bringing again.

Also, my mailbag carves the turkey at the head of the table and your mailbag sit at the kids' table.

Who is more likely to be traded, Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? And no “hold the Mayo” jokes.
I’m better than that. Mountcastle is a trade candidate because of a projected salary around $8 million, past health issues, a decline in production, and a market that exists for him. Mayo would be a big prospect piece in a potential deal. Both are possibilities, but if I have to rank them I’d say Mountcastle is more likely to go as a pending free agent. The reason why Mayo enters the conversation is because the Orioles would have to dip into that prospect pool in order to trade for an ace. He used to be untouchable but that might not be the case anymore. I’m not saying that he’s being shopped, just that there might be more of a willingness to listen.

Taylor Ward is about three weeks away from celebrating his 32^nd birthday and four months from the start of his ninth major league season. He’s changing his address from Anaheim to Baltimore but keeping the responsibilities that come with age and experience.

None of the Orioles’ hitters bring as much of it except for outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who’s only 30 but also made his debut in 2018. Ward was chosen 10 picks ahead of Ryan Mountcastle in the first round of the 2015 draft, but the homegrown first baseman is entering his seventh season and is 28.

Reliever Keegan Akin, awaiting his 31^st birthday on April 1 and with six major league seasons, inherited a leadership role in the bullpen after the deadline trades.

Ward will tackle the job with the same enthusiasm that he brings as a middle-of-the-order bat and left fielder.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said yesterday during his video call with the media. “Even with the Angels having a young core that they have right now, too. Yeah, anything that they need, any questions that they have, I’m absolutely available to tell them how I do things and just try to educate them the best I can to just speed up their development.

Taylor Ward’s phone rang around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he checked the name of the caller and saw that Angels general manager Perry Minasian was trying to contact him.

Ward had always prepared himself for the possibility of a trade, and now, Minasian randomly was on the other end of the line.

“Obviously,” he said today in a video call, “there’s been rumors for years now.”

The chatter apparently didn’t cause him to make any assumptions that night, to come away as anything except surprised when told that the Orioles acquired him for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

“Our conversation was pretty brief, but just told me that I was traded to Baltimore and he appreciated everything that I had done with the Angels and wished me luck. But had no idea,” Ward said.

The Orioles’ pitching staff is incomplete, with additions sought for the rotation and bullpen. Mike Elias traded for an outfielder but might want another option in center. He also has indicated that he could target a big bat.

Nothing much is said about the infield besides the decision to tender Ryan Mountcastle a contract.

Ramón Urías was used in a utility role until the deadline trade to Houston, which designated him for assignment last week. The Orioles designated Luis Vázquez for assignment on Tuesday, but he stays in the organization after clearing waivers yesterday and accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Vázquez will come to spring training after appearing in 32 games and going 8-for-50. He’s a plus defender at shortstop and maybe the best emergency reliever in history with four scoreless appearances with three hits allowed over 4 1/3 innings.

Got to be in the top 10 at least, right? Maybe he should close.

The 17-minute video call with president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias confirmed that he isn’t necessarily done with the outfield. He’s got the numbers but also a willingness to work them.

Seven outfielders are stashed on the 40-man roster, including Reed Trimble, who was added to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s expected to head back to Triple-A Norfolk and wait for a phone call.

Heston Kjerstad could join him after a lengthy shutdown caused by an undisclosed illness. He hit .192/.240/.327 in 54 games with the Orioles and .149/.225/.248 in 27 games with the Tides. The Orioles would settle for getting him back on the field and continuing their work with him at the plate and in right and left.

An Opening Day roster with Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras would suffice. Cowser could start in center, with the capability of moving to a corner late in games. Taveras could replace him. Ward could be the regular in left, with O’Neill and Beavers making most of their starts in right.

Taveras signed for $2 million but he’s out of minor league options, which could complicate matters. He’d have to pass through waivers – the contract could make it easier - and approve an outright assignment.

Because it’s never too early to wonder about lineup construction, even before Thanksgiving, there’s an instant curiosity over the most ideal spot to bat Taylor Ward.

Ward has hit everywhere during his eight-year career, and before the Orioles acquired him from the Angels this week for starter Grayson Rodriguez in a shocking one-for-one deal.

The breakdown goes as follows:

First: 169 starts
Second: 19
Third: 139
Fourth: 179
Fifth: 37
Sixth: 36
Seventh: 49
Eighth: 32
Ninth: five

Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs this year and 18 of them came from the cleanup spot, where he made 99 starts. He batted third in 30 games and hit nine homers and swatted six among his 22 starts at leadoff. Ward batted fifth in three games (two homers) and second twice (one homer).

The decision to non-tender pitcher Albert Suárez didn’t necessarily close the door on his return next year.

The decision to tender first baseman Ryan Mountcastle showed that the Orioles are open to making room for him on the roster.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias explained today’s moves in a video call, as well as the motivation behind trading for Angels outfielder Taylor Ward earlier this week.

“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” Elias said when asked about Suárez, who pitched in only five games this year due to shoulder and forearm injuries.

“We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did particularly in 2024. And it was a real bummer and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last (season) that he got hurt.

The Orioles tendered first baseman Ryan Mountcastle a contract for the 2026 season earlier today but chose to let pitcher Albert Suárez enter free agency.

Suárez was the only non-tender at today’s arbitration deadline.

Closer Félix Bautista, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, agreed to terms on a contract for 2026 that prevents a possible hearing. A source confirmed an MLB.com report that the deal is worth $2.25 million.

Bautista will miss the majority of the upcoming season, but the club is hopeful that he can contribute down the stretch.

Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Yennier Cano, Gunnar Henderson, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were tendered contracts, along with all pre-arbitration players on the 40-man roster.

The Orioles had a contract decision to make on catcher Alex Jackson. They did it this morning.

It’s passed along to the Minnesota Twins.

Jackson was traded today for minor league infielder Payton Eeles, reducing the number of players on the 40-man roster to 39.

Eeles, who turned 26 earlier this month, signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent after playing at Coastal Carolina – where he was teammates with Orioles 2025 first-round draft pick Caden Bodine – and in the independent American Association in 2023.

Over 210 minor league games, Eeles has batted .285/.410/.417 with 28 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs and 94 RBIs and has stolen 68 bases in 86 attempts. He’s also walked 120 times and struck out 141.

The Orioles have reached the latest important date on the offseason calendar, and this one is worth circling twice.

Teams must decide tonight whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. The list grew to 13 with the Taylor Ward trade.

Players with three-to-six years of service time must go through the process. The sides exchange figures if an agreement isn’t reached, and a three-person panel chooses a winner in hearings that run between late January and early February.

The Orioles prefer the file-and-go approach, also known as the alliterative file-and-trial, but they make exceptions for contracts that include options and aren’t strictly for the upcoming season.

The offseason began with 14 eligible Orioles, but the Mets claimed reliever José Castillo on waivers earlier this month and outfielder Dylan Carlson chose free agency after clearing waivers.

The Orioles are getting closer to completing their coaching staff for the 2026 season.

According to a source, Hank Conger has been hired as bullpen coach under new manager Craig Albernaz.

Conger most recently was Minnesota’s assistant bench coach before finding out earlier this month that he wouldn’t be retained under new manager Derek Shelton. He joined the Twins in 2022 as first base and catching coach.

More youth is added to the staff with the 37-year-old Conger, a former first round draft pick of the Angels who played in the majors for seven seasons. He also gives the Orioles’ another hire with a catching background.

Conger spent five seasons with the Angels and played for the Astros in 2015 and Rays in 2016. Albernaz managed Tampa Bay’s instructional league team that year. Mike Elias was Houston’s director of amateur scouting in ’15.

In case anyone thought the offseason would be a bore, the Orioles stunned the industry with Tuesday night’s Grayson Rodriguez trade – a late one on the East Coast. They broke their own news, which is a rarity in this industry. It froze us like a 12-6 curveball.

And they’re just getting started.

Let’s sift through some leftover thoughts on the one-for-one deal that brings slugging outfielder Taylor Ward to Baltimore.

* Some of the reviews from national media aren’t favorable for the Orioles based on Rodriguez’s potential and controllability. He can’t become a free agent until after the 2029 season. He hasn’t even reached arbitration eligibility. Ward, meanwhile, can test the market after 2026.

The Orioles are living in the moment.