Cardinals Veteran on Thin Ice With Future in St. Louis in Doubt

The St. Louis Cardinals will have a decision to make this upcoming offseason involving Ryne Stanek.

Sep 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) reacts after the third out of the ninth inning with the bases loaded against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season comes to an end, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to the bullpen.

Riley O'Brien has had some tough moments recently, but he's leading the National League with 36 saves and he was an All-Star this season. He's in the middle of a cold stretch, but he's someone to keep in the bullpen in 2027. Gordon Graceffo has been a revelation in the Cardinals' bullpen this year.

He has 1.5 wins above replacement and a 2.70 ERA in 56 appearances. No other Cardinals reliever who has been in town all season has more than 0.4 wins above replacement. Justin Bruihl is that guy with 0.4 wins above replacement. He's been solid and could be an option next year as well.

After that, the bullpen should be completely up in the air. The Cardinals have the 24th-ranked bullpen ERA in baseball. It desperately needs to be improved. That should lead to changes and one guy who may not be back next year seems to be veteran hurler Ryne Stanek.

It Sounds Like Ryne Stanek Could Be One-And-Done In St. Louis

Sep 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stanek signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with St. Louis with a $6 million club option for the 2027 campaign. On Thursday, while sharing a column with early intel ahead of free agency, ESPN's Jeff Passan listed Stanek's option as one that is "unlikely to be picked up." Passan listed 14 players who are unlikely to have their club options picked up and Stanek was the lone member of the Cardinals represented on the list.

The veteran righty has pitched in 64 games for the Cardinals so far this season and has 4.42 ERA and a 60-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 57 innings pitched.

When Stanek signed with the Cardinals in free agency, he immediately started to be talked about as a potential trade chip, like Dustin May was. The righty struggled to kick off the 2026 season, though. Which certainly didn't help his trade value. At 35 years old, there's no reason to pick up that club option. The Cardinals need to fully rebuild the bullpen. Handing Stanek $6 million would be a step in the wrong direction. It appears to be unlikely that his option will be picked up, and that is for the best for St. Louis.