How the Mets' Culture Convinced Ryne Stanek to Return

Ryne Stanek highlights the clubhouse culture and the family vibes as the reasons he opted to return to the Mets.

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) reacts after the Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The family culture has seemed to be the main factor for why free agents opted to take their talents to the New York Mets ever since Steve and Alex Cohen bought the team. As for newly re-signed reliever pitcher Ryne Stanek, it continues to be a common theme.

Speaking with reporters on Monday in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the veteran reliever explained that the clubhouse vibes from last year and the Mets' family-friendly treatment were major factors on why he wanted to return.

"The clubhouse and the vibe. The team is good, but they were really welcoming for me and my family," Stanek said. "The baseball is the baseball, that's the easy part to see. But it's a lot of the stuff that happens behind the scenes, like the quality-of-life things for families that matter for people with kids and stuff like that. That actually takes a bigger weight [in the organization] than most people would assume. They took great care of my family, and that meant a lot to me."

Ryne Stanek talks about what made him want to come back to the Mets:

"The clubhouse and the vibe. The team is good, but they were really welcoming for me and my family." pic.twitter.com/0y0laxDx8E

— SNY (@SNYtv) February 10, 2025

Stanek's family factor as the main reason why he wanted to return to the Mets should be no surprise as ever since the Cohens bought the Mets in August of 2020, they have been known for being very welcoming to the families of the players they have been able to sign or acquired via trade. This offseason's signing of Juan Soto was emblematic of this, as the Cohens included a personal suite at Citi Field for the Soto family across the outfielder's 15 years in Flushing, Queens.

Stanek, 32, was acquired by New York from the Seattle Mariners on July 26, 2024, and is looking to build off the strong postseason he strung together after struggling during the regular season. Despite posting a 6.06 ERA in 17 regular season appearances for the Mets, the hard-throwing righty went 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in the postseason, with eight strikeouts across eight innings.