Is Ryne Stanek a Smart Add For The Pen?

[DocBauer]

Came across some rumors that Ryne Stanek is getting some looks as a bullpen option for some teams. And I confess to not knowing a lot about him, so I went and took a look see at his career.

He's no closer. He's not even an ideal set up guy. He doesn't have a great WAR. But I find myself INTERESTED in him being a solid, inexpensive addition to the Twins pen.

He was very good with TB in 2018. He was good with them in 2019 BEFORE being traded to Miami where he wasn't the rest of the year, or in 2020. And then Houston picked him up. He was excellent in 2021, really good in 2022, and then had a drop-off in 2023, but was still solid in hits per and K% per 9.

His career BB per 9 is a little high at around 4 per. But his hits per 9 is solid. And his 10.5 K per 9 is quite good. He's still only 32yo and cost the Astros $3.6M in 2024.

I understand debates about Varland to the pen, and what Canterino might bring in the near future. And I might be a little more optimistic about Alcala finally establishing himself than most. And, of course, there's at least some hope that Staumont might make a full recovery.  

But might Stanek be a really good move to add a proven arm to the pen to deepen the middle portion? I can't believe he'd cost more than a  1yr...maybe with an option and cheap buyout. 

Would he be a relatively inexpensive depth piece for the Twins to add before someone else grabs him? Or are the Twins better taking a pass and trusting in what they have?

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

100% count me in

[Doctor Wu]

I didn't know much about him either, but your reasoning is sound. Looks like he could be a cheap but effective help for the bullpen. At this point, the more arms the better. It will be nice to have some good options.