The Mets have been in the market for additional bullpen this winter. New York (NL) added A.J. Minter in mid-January, and now the Mets can insert another notable reliever with postseason experience. Ryne Stanek is back with the Mets on a one-year deal, after giving the team help during their postseason run last October.
A Look at Stanek
Reliever Ryne Stanek had an interesting season last year. The 33-year-old signed with Seattle late in the offseason, then was called upon at one point to get saves with Andres Munoz unavailable in the middle of 2024. Stanek notches seven saves for the M’s.
But in July, the Mets acquired Stanek from Seattle, one of several bullpen moves the team made. New York (NL) also acquired righty Phil Maton from the Rays, who pitched well in the regular season but made one too many mistakes in the MLB Postseason.
When Stanek came over to New York, the veteran right-hander got hit hard in his debut with the team against the Braves on July 28. After that game, the righty did well, not allowing a run in nine of his next 11 appearances.
He wound up becoming a key piece of their bullpen in October, striking out eight over eight frames, with three earned runs in that span.
The 33-year-old posted good metrics in 2024, despite an overall ERA of 4.88. Stanek got chases at a rate of 32% last season, well above the league-average. The same can be said for his Whiff% of 32.2%.
Stanek is a power pitcher who boasts a hard four-seamer that sits in the upper-90s. It has high IVB (17.9” mean in 2024), leading to a combo that resulted in a lot of whiffs. His fastball also plays well off the splitter, which sits in the high-80s to low-90s.
It’s a pitcht that doesn’t have plus movement but works well to get hitters out in front. Opposing hitters batted .210 with a 43.3% Whiff% on it.
Between his splitter and slider, Stanek has weapons to get both left and right-handers out. Left-handed bats slashed .232/.330/.364 (.694 OPS) off Stanek in 2024, compared to .221/.302/.407 (.709 OPS) against righties.
Per MLB.com, the Mets re-signed Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal worth $5MM.
Analysis
Stanek didn’t need to wait as long for a home this season, compared to 2024. The right-hander didn’t sign with the Mariners until March 8.
The Mets had success with Stanek last summer and fall, as his stuff played up both in the regular season and playoffs — despite the high ERA of 6.06 with the team. He’ll join newcomer LHP A.J. Minter, signed by the Mets a few days earlier, plus the likes of Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez, Jose Butto, and Danny Young.
Stanek is one of several relievers to have signed in recent days. The Dodgers added All-Star reliever Kirby Yates on January 28.