Cardinals make their first splash of the New Year by signing strikeout artist

According to MLB insider Robert Murray, the St. Louis Cardinals and veteran reliever Ryne Stanek have agreed on a one-year deal for the 2026 season. Stanek, 34, is a St. Louis native known for his roaring fastball that touches triple digits and his fiery mound presence. 

Stanek was once a revered back-end arm for the Houston Astros from 2021 to 2022. His best season, in 2022, sported a shiny 1.15 ERA through 54.2 innings. That equated to a 333 ERA+, which is near unheard of. Quite possibly one of the better reliever seasons we’ve seen in the 2020s. 

Ryan Stanek gives the Cardinals a veteran with strikeout stuff for their bullpen

From the outside looking in, Stanek was rather pitiful in 2025. An ERA of 5.30 through 56 innings is nothing to boast about. To pair with that, Stanek has struggled with ball-four. Typical of hard-throwing relievers that haven’t had steady success. His walk rate of 12.5% was in the fourth percentile according to Baseball Savant, making Stanek one of MLB’s wildest pitchers (Hit the bull!). 

The key to this signing is the potential for upside that the right-handed fireballer brings. Stanek maintained a high chase rate and whiff rate in 2025 and was above average at inducing strike-three. If the righty can get back in the zone and maintain his velocity, his results should tip towards the mean.

According to fellow Redbird Rants columnist Thomas Gauvain, “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.” Stanek clearly has the pitch-mix to find success again in Major League Baseball. Maybe it’s time to play matchmaker? 

At this point in his career, Stanek might find more success as a righty specialist. When facing left-handed batters in 2025, his WHIP of 1.95 and batting average against of .295 made him out to be glorified batting practice. Right-handed hitters had a much tougher time against Stanek, sporting a combined .683 OPS against the newest Cardinal. If manager Oli Marmol wants to get the most out of his newest toy, he should play him to his apparent strengths. 

Ryne Stanek marks the newest addition to a Redbird bullpen that is, outside of him, very inexperienced. Aside from the numbers and data, Stanek should provide a steady, veteran presence in the Cardinals' 2026 arm-barn.