Should the Mets Bring Back This High-Leverage Reliever?

The Mets need to address the bullpen during the offseason, and it may start with keeping one of their deadline acquisitions.

Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) pitches in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Although the New York Mets have primarily been linked to star position players and starting pitchers, one of the areas they need to improve is the bullpen.

New York's relievers were wildly inconsistent during the season, and may have been what led to the team's demise in the NLCS; their tendency to issue free passes created significant traffic on the basepaths, which opened the door for big innings. Additionally, five relievers could be departing during the offseason, as Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, and Ryne Stanek will be unrestricted free agents, while Phil Maton has a club option that the Mets can decline.

Out of these pitchers, the Mets should prioritize a reunion with Stanek for his strong performances down the stretch.

This may seem odd, as Stanek's overall numbers with the Mets look unimpressive at first glance. After being acquired from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline, the 33-year-old right-hander recorded a 6.06 ERA, 4.39 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP; even stranger is that Stanek is known for walking batters, which, as mentioned before, is something the Mets are trying to cut down.

However, those numbers are significantly skewed by his appearances on July 28 and August 11, in which he combined to allow seven runs in 1.1 innings. From August 13 to September 28, Stanek was lights-out with a sparkling 2.92 ERA, 2.27 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP; over that span of 12.1 innings, he struck out 18 batters while only walking four, and opponents could only muster a .205 batting average against him.

As the games mattered more, Stanek seemed to pitch better, and that trend continued in the postseason. In seven appearances and eight innings, the righty logged a 3.38 ERA, 3.92 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP with a meager .167 opposing batting average; he struck out eight batters while only walking three. In particular, Stanek provided a heroic outing in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, as he recorded the longest single-game outing of his career (2.1 innings); despite allowing a home run, he would allow nothing more and punched out four batters to pick up the win and save New York's season.

With this sustained run of impressive outings, bringing Stanek back would be one of the best low-key moves the Mets could make. Spotrac currently projects him to get a one-year, $2.6 million contract, which would be an absolute bargain for a high-leverage arm; Stanek will likely ask for more than that, but the Mets should certainly find a reasonable price to keep him around.

New York's bullpen still needs more help, but having Stanek stay in Queens would be a good start.