January 10: Stanek will earn $3.5MM in 2026, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The deal additionally features a $6MM membership possibility for 2027.
January 9: The Cardinals are in settlement with free agent reliever Ryne Stanek, experiences Robert Murray of FanSided. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported that St. Louis was pursuing the hard-throwing righty. The Cardinals might want to open a 40-man roster spot as soon as the MVP Sports activities Group consumer completes a bodily.
Stanek will get a change of surroundings after an inconsistent yr and a half with the Mets. New York acquired him from the Mariners on the 2024 commerce deadline. Whereas he allowed 11 runs in 16 1/3 common season innings down the stretch, Stanek’s plus strikeout price and powerful postseason work led the Mets to deliver him again on a $4.5MM free agent deal.
That didn’t pan out, because the 34-year-old had an up-and-down season. Stanek had sturdy run prevention marks in Might and July however was knocked round within the different 4 months. He completed with a 5.30 earned run common throughout 56 innings. ERA estimators have been solely barely extra bullish as Stanek’s strikeout and stroll charges every went within the mistaken route.
A 22.7% strikeout price was narrowly the bottom of his nine-year profession. Stanek had fanned practically 28% of opposing hitters one season earlier. It’s essential that he miss bats as a result of command has by no means been a powerful swimsuit. Stanek has walked at the least 10% of batters confronted in all however one yr, together with a 12.5% mark final season.
The Cardinals are taking what ought to be a low-cost guess that he’ll strike out extra batters in 2026. Stanek nonetheless has the stuff to do this. He averaged 98.5 MPH on his heater, a high 15 mark in MLB. He backs that up with a plus slider and mixes in a splitter and sweeper as his third and fourth choices. Stanek nonetheless missed bats at a barely above-average price on a per pitch foundation.
St. Louis doesn’t have a ton of skilled arms within the late innings. Southpaw JoJo Romero had been their solely reliever with even two years of MLB service. There’s an honest likelihood he’s traded earlier than Opening Day. The Cardinals have been on the lookout for a veteran arm who can pitch within the again half of the bullpen. Stanek matches finest in center reduction however may very well be within the high-leverage combine, even perhaps as a better, on a rebuilding membership. He’s a recognized commodity to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who was within the Rays entrance workplace when Tampa Bay drafted him within the first spherical in 2013.
There’s additionally a geographic tie. Stanek was born in St. Louis and went to highschool not far exterior Missouri in Stilwell, Kansas. There’s an honest likelihood he’ll be traded midseason if he’s pitching properly, however he’ll get an opportunity to play for his hometown membership for at the least just a few months.
Picture courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Photos.
