On paper, the Mets adding Ryan Helsley to serve as Edwin Díaz’s set up man down the stretch was an appropriately aggressive idea. The club acquired the All Star closer in exchange for Jesus Baez (their No. 8 prospect at the time, according to MLB Pipeline), RHP Nate Dohm (their No. 14), and RHP Frank Elissalt. Baez was probably the most exciting name in the package, and for a pitcher of Helsley’s caliber, it was considered a shrewd gamble. David Stearns’ primary focus at the deadline was to build a lockdown bullpen—between the additions of Helsley, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Rogers to join Díaz—to help push New York across the finish line.

Unfortunately, while it looked good on paper, in practice it proved to be one of many decisions that led to the team’s undoing. While Helsley wasn’t even

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