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Ryan Helsley’s struggles in a Mets uniform continued Tuesday.

The New York Mets went out at the MLB Trade Deadline hoping to sure up their bullpen, but instead find themselves second guessing what was supposed to be their big splash in Ryan Helsley. ESPN Correspondent Bradford Doolittle slammed the Mets move in an article looking at every MLB team’s trade deadline one month removed.

“Deadline pickups Gregory Soto and Tyler Rogers have been fine, but the splash was supposed to come from Ryan Helsley, whose August ERA (9.31) was more like a belly flop,” Doolittle wrote. “There’s a month to get this right before the playoffs.”

Helsley’s Mets career has been nothing short of disastrous, as he has posted an ERA of 11.45 in 11 innings pitched. He’s allowed 18 runs on 19 hits and has blown four saves to the tune of an 0-3 record. The 31-year-old’s latest implosion came in the seventh inning on Sept. 3 when he allowed a three-run home run to Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter to extend the Tigers’ lead to four runs late in the game.

Helsley had been in the upper echelon of relievers in the MLB since 2022 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, but now as a Met, the seven year MLB veteran has become a liability.

Helsley’s Struggles Come as Mets Are Battling to Remain in Wild Card Spot

Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Mets had taken a 2-0 lead in their three game series with American League leading Detroit, and had a chance to sweep them until Helsley’s struggles all but ended any chance of a comeback.

New York manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about Helsley’s struggles after Wednesday’s loss.

“We saw it today, the homer there, that fastball is in the power zone for a lefty,” Mendoza said. “When he’s at his best he’s able to elevate his fastball and right now he’s not doing that.”

The takeaway from that statement from Mendoza is that Helsley isn’t hurt, he isn’t losing spin or velocity on his pitches, he is just completely unable to hit his spots, which is typically more of a mental issue. Usually when a pitcher is in a mental funk like Helsley is, that funk does eventually come to an end, but the Mets need it to end much sooner than later.

Mets Still Control Their Destiny

New York currently sits at 75-65 in the third and final Wild Card slot, putting them 4.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. This means that as long as New York can play slightly above .500 baseball in the final month of the season and the Reds don’t explode to come after them, their playoff spot should be safe.

What’s more concerning is the level of inconsistency that has plagued the Mets for much of the season. After a great start in April and May, New York has gone 39-42 since June 1. Even if they have a very good chance to make the playoffs, their bullpen needs to find its footing soon because they can’t bank on it coming alive in October.

That improvement needs to start with Helsley.

Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings