Cardinals are learning the Ryne Stanek reality the NY Mets refused to believe

Amid all of the second-guessing, for what the New York Mets did or didn’t do this offseason, one choice was easy. They weren’t going to go round three with Ryne Stanek.

A trade deadline acquisition in 2024 who performed rather poorly in the regular season but became a go-to option in the playoffs, David Stearns mistakenly bought into that late success by re-signing him to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million. A fair market value for an experienced reliever with enough cash flow from the owner to eventually cut him if things got too bad, the Mets ended up holding onto Stanek for the entirety of 2025.

Stanek, frustratingly, pitched to a 5.38 ERA in 2025 after his 6.06 ERA the regular season prior. He was often discussed as a DFA candidate in the latter part of the season by fans. The front office sat back and tried to make it work. It never did.

Flash forward to the offseason and Stanek signed with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. A lot of 2025 Mets players are off to big starts. Stanek isn’t one of them.

Ryne Stanek is one of the few ex-Mets with really bad numbers this year

After 20 games and 18 innings (which is already a sign of something bad), Stanek is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA. His walks are up to an outrageous 7 BB/9. While the strikeouts have come in abundance at 12 K/9, it hardly makes up for the free passes. They’ve decreased over the last 6 games where Stanek has managed to throw 6 shutout innings with only 2 hits, no runs allowed, a pair of walks, and 7 strikeouts.

In this stretch, Stanek has lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 6.00. We know as well as anyone any success out of Stanek can be short-lived. Moreover, it’s about the situation.

The Cardinals signed Stanek with what felt like the purpose of maybe getting a good year and flipping him at the trade deadline. The team has played far better, Stanek not being quite the contributor they had hoped for.

A look at his numbers in certain leverage spots, Stanek has already been reduced to someone best used when the game isn’t on the line. Hitters have an .857 OPS against him in high-leverage instances. It drops to .617 in medium leverage situations. In low-leverage spots, it’s .643. Oddly, the OBP in high-leverage spots it’s lower than the other two. It’s likely because of fewer walks. Stanek is choosing between getting hit or throwing balls.

It’s not much different than what he did for the Mets last year. With an .811 OPS in high-leverage spots, he ended up in far more low-leverage situations during the season. That’s where 6 of the 7 home runs he surrendered came from.

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