Mets continue adding to bullpen by reuniting with key reliever

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the New York Mets and Ryne Stanek are in agreement on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.

Stanek, 33, was traded to the Mets last July and had a rocky beginning with the club in the regular season. He had a 6.06 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 17 appearances.

However, Stanek was able to turn it around in the postseason and became a key piece to their bullpen in 2024. He ended up posting a 3.38 ERA with eight strikeouts in seven playoff appearances. Not to mention the right-hander also owns a 2.89 career ERA in the postseason as well.

During their magical playoff run, he quickly became one of Carlos Mendoza's go-to weapons. When Edwin Diaz was unavailable or the bullpen needed rest, Stanek was always ready to go. In fact, he pitched in the ninth inning of three Mets playoff victories.

Stanek will end up becoming a nice complement to the other latest addition to the pen, A.J. Minter. Those two relief pitchers combined together are going to form that coveted bridge to Diaz. Other important pieces in the bullpen are Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez, Jose Butto and Sean Reid-Foley.

This deal with Stanek could also leave a little bit of breathing room should the Mets and Pete Alonso pivot back to one another. Steve Cohen and David Stearns have made it a point to try not to venture too far past the $301 million threshold set this year. Every dollar that the club spends over that line will be taxed at 110 percent.

Alonso and the Mets have been trying to progress toward a deal for a while now but have not seemed to see eye-to-eye. The sole reason why a reunion is still in play between the two parties is because the All-Star first baseman has not found a home yet.

"I will never say no," Cohen stated at Amazing Day. "There's always the possibility. But the reality is we're moving forward, and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have. And that's where we are."

Aside from all of the Alonso drama, the Mets seem to be pretty content with the way their bullpen is looking ahead of the 2025 campaign.