2) Ryne Stanek
Ryne Stanek has had some solid seasons in the past with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros. But he has yet to be a quality reliever with the Mets. The right-handed reliever was acquired from the Seattle Mariners nearing the 2024 trade deadline. At the time, Stanek only had a 4.38 ERA, 4.04 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP, and the Mets gave up Rhylan Thomas to acquire him.
Stanek would only pitch 16.1 more innings in 2024, but struggled after the swap. He allowed 11 earned runs while walking eight. Stanek may have struck out 23 batters in the small sample size, but he also surrendered three home runs. Despite his late-season struggles, the Mets opted to bring Stanek back on a one-year contract worth $4.05 million, which now looks like something they wish they could go back on.
Stanek has pitched 39.1 innings this season, working to a 5.03 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 1.55 WHIP. He has a solid 24% strikeout percentage and a HR/9 of 0.92. But he is still handing out walks at an 11.7% rate. He has gotten hit hard, with a 32nd percentile exit velocity at 90.1 MPH, and a 27th percentile barrel rate at 9.6%.
Stanek still throws very hard, with a 116 Stuff+ and a 98.5 MPH fastball velocity, both of which are career highs. But Stanek has just not been able to piece it together. The Mets definitely aren’t getting the same sort of pitcher who put up a 2.90 ERA and 27% strikeout percentage with the Houston Astros from 2021 through 2023.