The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs have been relatively quiet this offseason, with both teams fortifying their lineups with 2024 All-Star selections while largely leaving their pitching staffs untouched. With pitchers and catchers poised to report to spring training in a few weeks, Chicago and Atlanta are now competing for a risk-reward arm on the open market.
Chicago has been more active this winter, trading for All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and flipping Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. Paired with some depth additions, the Cubs have at least made some effort to improve and recent MLB rumors have pointed to some other targets on their radar.
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Meanwhile, Atlanta has been largely quiet for the majority of the offseason until it signed Silver Slugger Award winner Jurickson Profar. With the All-Star corner infielder now adding depth to the Braves lineup, the club is reportedly looking to help out its pitching staff.
- Ryne Stanek stats 2024 (ESPN): 4.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 7.8 H/9 in 55.1 innings pitched
According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves and Cubs are among the teams eyeing free-agent relief pitcher Ryne Stanek ahead of spring training.
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Stanek, who turns 34 in July, has struggled over the last two seasons. Across 50.2 innings pitched from 2023-’24, he had a 4.5 ERA with a 1.36 HR/9 and a 3.91 BB/9 with just a 15.9 percent K-BB rate. However, he thrived in 2022 with the Houston Astros.
- Ryne Stanek career stats: 4.14 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 7.0 H/9, 10.6 K/9 in 402.1 innings pitched
In 54.2 innings with the Astros during the 2022 season, Stanek compiled a 1.15 ERA with a 27.7 percent strikeout rate with just a .187 batting average allowed. While he’s consistently done a nice job preventing hits to opponents, Stanek has posted a double-digit walk rate in seven of eight seasons at the major league level.
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In a best-case scenario, Stenak could be a fairly effective late-inning reliever who could come in for the 7th inning or at the very least provide quality depth for a bullpen. However, his command has worsened in recent years and further regression could make him a replacement-level player in 2025.