Ryne Stanek has a home in St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms with veteran reliever Ryne Stanek on a free agent deal, according to Robert Murray of Fansided.
As of this posting, the financial terms and length are not available.
About Stanek
Now 34 years old, this is a homecoming for Stanek, who is from St. Louis. A former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, he played his college ball at Arkansas.
A nine-year veteran of the Rays, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, Stanek has gone 21-23 in his career with a 3.85 ERA. He helped Houston win the World Series in 2022 and was recently part of the Mets team that went to the National League Championship Series in 2024.
He struggled in 2025 for New York, going 4-6 with a 5.30 ERA.
About his opportunity in St. Louis
As of this moment, Stanek helps form a solid back-end bullpen trio with Riley O'Brien and JoJo Romero. However, the expectation is that Romero will be traded soon and that Stanek and O'Brien will battle it out for save opportunities in spring training. Stanek's fastball reaches into the upper-90s, making him an ideal leverage arm on a rebuilding team.
O'Brien is expected to pitch for Team Korea in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, which could give Stanek a leg up in the closer competition considering O'Brien will leave camp for a few weeks.
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How this will likely go for Stanek
Again, the contract terms are not out right now but the presumption is that this is a one-year deal. As a result, the two sides are in a position to help each other.
The Cardinals are giving Stanek an opportunity to play for his hometown team and giving him an opportunity to pitch leverage innings. In exchange, the Cardinals are hoping that Stanek pitches well enough to trade at the deadline so they can acquire a prospect to help in their rebuild.
That is the kind of thinking that will drive Chaim Bloom as long as this rebuild goes.
What's next for St. Louis
The Cardinals will continue turning over the roster, looking for talent and hidden gems, and they will likely move on from additional veterans. Romero is expected to be traded, as is third baseman Nolan Arenado. Infielder Brendan Donovan could also be moved, as he's one of the top remaining trade chips of the offseason.
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