Ryne Stanek, red flags and all, brings more than just elite velocity to Cardinals' bullpen

Though it wasn't quite a bidding war, the St. Louis Cardinals overcame the rest of the NL Central when they signed reliever Ryne Stanek.

The veteran journeyman is making the sixth stop on his MLB career, having pitched for the New York Mets since the 2024 trade deadline. Admittedly, he struggled in the Big Apple, pitching to a 5.47 ERA and 12.3% walk rate.

With the pitcher now 34 years old, are Stanek's best years behind him? Or can the Cardinals work their magic and return him to the high-leverage reliever he once was with the Houston Astros?

Ryne Stanek is a high-upside flier with big trade deadline potential for Cardinals.

Unlike Rule 5 draft pick Matt Pushard or trade acquisition Justin Bruihl, Stanek has late-inning experience and the raw stuff to match.

Of course, the most notable piece of his arsenal is his triple-digit fastball, which Stanek relies on heavily (57% usage rate in 2025). The pitch generates tremendous rise and arm-side run, though his over-reliance on it does mean that hitters tend to square it up when they make contact (.360 xwOBA allowed).

Those contact trends are part of a larger issue for the veteran reliever, who ranked in the 23rd percentile in hard-hit rate (43.6%) and average exit velocity allowed (90.3 mph) with the Mets last year. He's been able to mitigate those issues with strong whiff and strikeout numbers, but he also walks guys at a concerning rate (12.5% in 2025).

At his best in 2022 with the Astros — when he authored a 1.15 ERA over 54 2/3 innings — he used his splitter far more aggressively, peppering left-handed batters with it low and away. After surrendering a .367 wOBA to lefties in 2025, perhaps re-committing to that pitch could work wonders for Stanek. Alternatively, ditching his sweeper altogether could be an option, as it was his least reliable pitch in terms of generating whiffs and landing in the strike zone last season.

The structure of Stanek's contract is also worth combing over. His $3.5 million salary for 2026 isn't very onerous, and the $6 million club option for 2027 gives him some affordable team control if he returns to form.

This could very well lead to a sign-and-flip scenario, wherein the Cardinals give Stanek plenty of high-leverage opportunities to rebuild his value in the first half before flipping him for prospects at the trade deadline. At last year's deadline, we saw just how valuable relievers with additional years of team control really are.

With JoJo Romero still in tow and nearing his own trip to free agency, St. Louis could enter the 2026 trading period with two of the most valuable relievers on the market, if they can help Stanek mitigate his weaknesses.