From death threats to a new team: Ryne Stanek's rollercoaster takes another turn! After a year he'd probably like to forget with the New York Mets, veteran reliever Ryne Stanek is heading to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Stanek, now 34 years old, officially agreed to a contract with the Cardinals this past Friday, a move first confirmed by Jon Heyman of The Post. But here's the catch: while the agreement is in place, the deal is still contingent on Stanek passing a physical, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. So, fingers crossed for a clean bill of health!
To understand this move, let's rewind a bit. Stanek became a free agent in November, capping off a turbulent season and a half in Queens. The Mets initially acquired him from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline back in 2024, hoping he'd bolster their bullpen.
Initially, things looked promising. After a somewhat inconsistent start to his Mets career in the second half of 2024, Stanek stepped up during the team's playoff run. He posted a respectable 3.38 ERA with eight strikeouts in seven appearances, convincing Mets President David Stearns to bring him back for the 2025 season with a one-year, $4.5 million contract.
Unfortunately, 2025 was a season to forget for Stanek. His ERA ballooned to 5.30, and he struggled with control, issuing an alarming 32 walks. He endured particularly brutal stretches in the second half of the season. And this is the part most people miss: consistency is key for relievers, and Stanek simply couldn't find it.
August was especially rough. In 10 appearances that month, Stanek's ERA was a staggering 12.38, and opposing batters hit a whopping .324 against him. This from a player who was once a first-round draft pick! Imagine the pressure he must have been under.
Following the season, Stanek revealed the dark side of his struggles to The Post, describing the torrent of hateful messages he received online. He even suggested that the rise of sports gambling has exacerbated the problem of fan abuse toward players.
"I get death threats all the time — every day," Stanek told The Post in November. "It’s not anything that every baseball player doesn’t deal with all the time. Like, ‘You cost me my parlay, I hope your family dies.’"
He continued, "Gambling in baseball is doing nothing but making the day-to-day lives of players substantially worse. It’s just people that recklessly bet their money on just anything that they can and if you mess up their bad life choice, you’re the problem and you should die.” That's a pretty strong statement... but is he right?
But here's where it gets controversial... Stanek's comments raise a critical question: Does the increasing prevalence of sports gambling create an environment where players are unfairly targeted with abuse and threats? Some argue that players are well-compensated and should be able to handle criticism, while others believe that no one deserves to be subjected to such vitriol, regardless of their profession. What do you think? Is Stanek's assessment of the impact of sports gambling on player abuse accurate, or is he deflecting responsibility for his performance? Sound off in the comments below!
