Adding a high-leverage arm is supposedly one of the Seattle Mariners' goals for this offseason, and Ryan Helsley seemed to check all the boxes as an option in free agency. He had the electric stuff, the track record, and a low enough contract projection to fit in Seattle's price range.
So much for that, though. Helsley was snapped up by the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday on a two-year deal that will pay him $28 million. And despite reporting from Katie Woo of The Athletic that teams had been considering the 31-year-old righty as a starter, he has already been confirmed by ESPN's Jeff Passan as Baltimore's ninth-inning option.