Mets free agents in the playoffs: 1 raising his stock, 1 who needs to do more, 1 quietly executing

Mets free agent Ryne Stanek has quietly executed in big spots for the team

Four games into the playoffs and the team leader in games pitched is Ryne Stanek? Things must have gone sideways. Not at all, in fact. The seasoned postseason pitcher has pitched three times. The only run he has allowed was a garbage time one against the Phillies when he finished off Game 1 on Saturday.

Stanek’s numbers don’t jump out, possibly because it’s too small to make any big judgments. He has struck out 2 batters, walked one, and allowed just one hit. Avoiding dangerous situations has been the biggest key for him. Carlos Mendoza’s preferred choice for the ninth inning in non-save situations this postseason, his unimpressive regular season ERA of 6.06 as a member of the Mets in a limited 16.1 inning sample size looks much different than the results he’s getting so far. Stanek isn’t close to the 12.7 strikeouts per 9 he had. Getting outs the old-fashioned way with contact has been what has worked for him.

Thoughts of bringing Stanek back for 2025 seemed unreasonable based on the regular season performance. Maybe not anymore? The Mets were rumored to have interest in him before he eventually settled with the Seattle Mariners in free agency. A strong postseason might excuse a more average regular season performance. Of course, he’ll need to be much better than what he was after the trade deadline deal that brought him here.

Either way, Stanek has shown himself to be a reliable postseason pitcher. After struggles from Jose Butto and Phil Maton, his ability to step up in the big situation has been undervalued.