The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with free-agent reliever Ryne Stanek, including a $6 million club option for 2027. The deal, reported on Friday, is pending a physical exam and aims to bolster the team's bullpen under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. Stanek, a St. Louis native, brings veteran experience and high-velocity pitching to the rebuilding squad.
The St. Louis Cardinals continued their efforts to add experienced arms to their bullpen by reaching an agreement with 34-year-old right-hander Ryne Stanek. The contract, first reported by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Friday, calls for $3.5 million in 2026 with a $6 million club option for 2027. The signing remains unofficial, as it is contingent on Stanek passing a physical, and the team must clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Stanek, born in St. Louis and a high school graduate from Stilwell, Kansas, enters his 10th MLB season after stints with the Rays, Marlins, Astros, Mariners, and Mets. He contributed to the Astros' 2022 World Series title, posting a 1.15 ERA in 59 appearances that year, including scoreless outings in four playoff games. However, recent seasons have been challenging: In 2025 with the Mets, Stanek went 4-6 with a 5.30 ERA over 56 innings in 65 games, striking out 58 batters while walking 32 and allowing seven home runs. Injuries limited him to 17 games in 2024, where he recorded a 6.06 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.
Career-wise, Stanek holds a 21-23 record with a 3.85 ERA across 466 games, accumulating 531 strikeouts in 458 1/3 innings and averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. His strengths include a four-seam fastball averaging 98.5 mph—96th percentile in velocity—used 57% of the time last season, generating a 27.8% whiff rate. Bloom, who drafted Stanek in the first round for the Rays in 2013, is rebuilding a relief corps depleted by last July's trades of closer Ryan Helsley, setup man Phil Maton, and swingman Steven Matz. The Cardinals recently acquired left-hander Justin Bruihl to replace non-tendered John King.
Stanek's addition provides swing-and-miss potential to a bullpen short on late-inning veterans, though his command issues—12.5% walk rate in 2025—remain a concern. As a middle reliever primarily, he could mix into higher-leverage roles on a rebuilding team, with a possible trade if he performs well midseason.
