Mariners add ex-Astros stalwart Stanek to bullpen
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While the Mariners are waiting for relievers to get healthy, they scored perhaps the best bullpen arm still on the market.
Seattle signed reliever Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal on Sunday. To make room on the roster, right-hander Jackson Kowar was placed on the 60-day injured list and will undergo Tommy John surgery.
“We are excited to add Ryne Stanek to our club. His combination of high-end stuff and durability adds to an already deep and talented relief corps,” said general manager Justin Hollander in a statement. “Ryne has a strong track record of pitching in leverage roles for championship-caliber teams.”
Stanek won two AL pennants and a World Series title during his time with the Mariners’ AL West rival, Houston. He posted a 1.15 ERA in 59 regular-season games in 2022, along with four scoreless outings during the Astros’ run to the title that year.
Going into his eighth big league season, Stanek is a former starter with the Rays who converted to relief with the Marlins, and he’s been a strong bullpen option since. He had a 4.09 ERA in 2023, with 51 strikeouts and 21 walks in 50 2/3 innings with Houston.
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Stanek joins a Seattle clubhouse badly in need of bullpen options thanks to an expanding rash of injuries at the halfway point of Spring Training.
The right elbow inflammation plaguing Matt Brash won’t require surgery, but the club is taking things slowly with his throwing program and he’s looking more and more likely to open the season on the injured list.
It’s likely the same fate for right-hander Gregory Santos, who was shut down Feb. 13 due to right shoulder soreness following his first bullpen session of Spring Training. Acquired from the White Sox just before Spring Training, Santos threw a light bullpen session March 8.