Bounce-back free agent reliever is a rumored target for Cardinals and their rivals

Chaim Bloom has stated on numerous occasions that he isn't finished filling out his crop of pitchers for the 2026 season. With the club's most recent trade for left-handed reliever Justin Bruihl, the bullpen is beginning to take shape. However, there is still plenty of room for additions to the relief corps for the St. Louis Cardinals.

As things currently stand, manager Oliver Marmol's options late in games will include JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien, and Matt Svanson. Ryan Fernandez, Chris Roycroft, Justin Bruihl, Matt Pushard, and Gordon Graceffo will fill in with Tink Hence, Andre Pallante, and Andre Granillo as additional options out of the bullpen. This is certainly a young bullpen, with O'Brien (31) the oldest and Romero (five years of service time) the most experienced.

There is plenty of space in the bullpen, and a veteran reliever would do the trick.

Right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek would be an excellent free agent addition for the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek, 34, is drawing interest from several teams. The bulk of these interested teams lies in the National League Central, the division the Cardinals call home.

Ryne Stanek's numbers over the last few seasons aren't inspiring. He's posted a negative bWAR the last two seasons, and his ERA hasn't been below 4.00 since 2022. The last time he was better than the average pitcher according to ERA+ was in 2023 with the Houston Astros.

In 2025, Stanek played the entire season with the New York Mets. He appeared in 65 games, throwing 56 total innings with a 5.30 ERA. He struck out 58 batters (9.3 K/9) and walked 32 (5.1 BB/9). He finished the year with a more tolerable 4.40 FIP, but his 1.571 WHIP was quite worrisome. The surface-level statistics won't make you want to sign Ryne Stanek, but there's more to his profile than what meets the eye.

Stanek's average fastball velocity was 98.5 MPH, good for the 96th percentile across baseball. He also generated whiffs and caused hitters to chase at above-average rates. For a bullpen that has been missing a whiff generator since the departure of Ryan Helsley, these metrics would be welcome additions.

Stanek's fastball is a relatively flat pitch, as it has two and a half more inches of rise than the average fastball from righties. Its velocity is its calling card, though. Stanek's slider generated whiffs more than 45% of the time, and hitters hit just .163 against it.

There are two connections that could make the Cardinals a preferred destination for Stanek over other National League Central rivals. Stanek, while he went to the University of Arkansas, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. A hometown discount of sorts could bode well for the Cardinals. Stanek was also drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. At that time, Chaim Bloom was Director of Baseball Operations for the Rays, a role where he would have been involved in the draft and development of players like Stanek. From 2014 through Stanek's debut in 2017, Bloom handled player development, so the Cardinals' new President of Baseball Operations is quite familiar with Ryne Stanek.

Ryne Stanek appears to be a strong bounce-back candidate in 2026. He'll need to get his walk rate back down while maintaining strong strikeout rates, but his experience should bode well for him. He has some experience closing games (14 career saves). Stanek's extensive postseason experience should also make him an interesting trade candidate at the deadline.