Cardinals Decline Ryne Stanek’s Club Option

The Cardinals have declined their $6MM club option on right-hander Ryne Stanek for the 2027 season, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold reports.  Stanek will instead take the $1MM buyout and enter free agency.

Stanek inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal last winter, so the righty will walk away with $3.5MM from his lone season in the Gateway City.  He delivered a 4.02 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate, and 12% walk rate over 62 2/3 innings, and his 70 appearances tied George Soriano for second on the team.

It was almost exactly a standard season for Stanek, with his numbers coming very close to the 3.87 ERA, 26.8K%, and 11.9BB% he has posted over 521 MLB innings with six different teams over parts of 10 seasons.  At least in bottom-line results, Stanek’s 2026 was a step up from his previous two seasons, when he had a 5.09 ERA over 111 1/3 innings with the Mets and Mariners.

Stanek remains a very hard thrower, as his fastball averaged 98mph.  He also showed batters something new, as Stanek decreased usage of his fastball from 57.1% in 2025 to 51.5% in 2026, while bumping up the use of a very effective slider.

Since Stanek turned 35 in July, his age may limit him to just one-year offers this winter, even though he appears to have plenty left in the tank.  The Cardinals and other teams figure to show interest in a durable veteran who can cover innings can still deliver the velocity to fool younger batters.