Right-hander Ryne Stanek signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets on Thursday, further bolstering a bullpen with a hard-throwing reliever with significant postseason experience.
The deal marks a reunion between the two sides after the Mets acquired Stanek in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last summer.
Stanek, 33, posted a 6.06 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Mets down the stretch of the regular season, but he was better in the playoffs, allowing just three runs across eight innings in seven games as New York fell two wins short of the National League pennant.
The veteran reliever boasts a 2.89 ERA in 30 career postseason appearances with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Mets. The track record includes four scoreless appearances during the Astros' World Series run in 2022. He owns a 3.65 ERA over 401 career regular-season games since making his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.
The Mets initially acquired Stanek for minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas last July, days before the trade deadline, as part of a midseason bullpen overhaul that included the acquisitions of veterans Phil Maton and Huascar Brazoban.
It's been a busy winter for the Mets, who landed Juan Soto, the offseason's most prized free agent, in early December and have continued fortifying the roster.
Stanek is the third reliever the Mets have acquired over the past two weeks. The club claimed right-hander Austin Warren off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Jan. 15. Eight days later, the Mets signed A.J. Minter, one of the top left-handed relievers on the free agent market, to a two-year, $22 million contract. They all figure to serve as a bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.
Pete Alonso, the Mets' homegrown star first baseman, remains a free agent. A reunion, although unlikely, remains possible.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Stanek, the Mets designated right-hander Dylan Covey for assignment.
