Bullpen help is on the way for the beleaguered Mets‘ relief group.
The Amazins’ traded for the second reliever in a month Friday during their game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, sending minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-hander Ryne Stanek. A corresponding 40-man roster transaction has not yet been made.
The former Seattle setup man, who turned 33 on Friday, is 6-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 46 relief appearances this season (39 innings) with seven saves in 11 opportunities and 15 holds. With a bullpen light on velocity, Stanek’s 98-MPH fastball is a welcome addition. He also throws a splitter and slider, both of which come with a lot of movement.
However, Stanek does have some issues with free passes, walking 3.92 per nine innings. The Mets are willing to live with it for a 10.15 strikeout-per-nine rate. Stanek has faced 14 inherited runners this season and allowed six to score (43%).
An eight-year veteran, Stanek was a key part of the Houston Astros’ AL Pennant-winning team in 2021 and won a World Series with Houston in 2022. He has a 2.70 postseason ERA in 20 innings with the Astros and Braves.
A native of the Kansas City area (Stilwell, Kansas), Stanek played college baseball at the University of Arkansas and was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. Stanek will be a free agent this winter when his one-year, $4 million contract expires.
The Mets are badly in need of relief help, having lost high-leverage arms Drew Smith and Brooks Raley for the season. In addition, right-handers Sean Reid-Foley, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nuñez are also on the injured list, with Nuñez hitting the IL Friday (retroactive to Wednesday).
The bullpen has been the team’s Achilles heel this season. Mets have lost 11 games when leading after seven innings and and six when leading after eight. They’re 9-5 when tied after seven and 6-4 when tied after eight. Veterans Adam Ottavino and Jake Diekman have struggled and the club cut ties with long man Adrian Houser on Friday. The 4.04 ERA posted by the Mets’ bullpen this season is ranked 17th in the league.
Thomas, a 24-year-old Los Angeles-area native who was drafted out of USC in 2022, was buried on the depth chart. It’s a low price to pay for a new setup man. The Mets previously acquired Stanek’s former Astros teammate in right-handed reliever Phil Maton and will look to acquire another reliever before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
