Pirates To Acquire Luke Weaver

2:19pm: The Pirates are acquiring Weaver, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN. The Mets are getting shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura in the deal, per Janes. 2:06pm: The Pirates are “pushing hard” to acquire right-handed reliever Luke Weaver from the Mets, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Nothing is done yet, but the Pirates are indeed the favorites for Weaver, Chelsea Janes of SNY adds. As part of an aggressive offseason, the Mets added Weaver on a two-year, $22MM pact in free agency. Little has gone right for the Mets since then, evidenced by their 47-66 record and status as surefire sellers, but Weaver has been a rare bright spot. The 32-year-old has turned in 44 innings of 1.84 ERA ball, though he has benefited from a .204 batting average on balls in play and an 82.8% strand rate. While his current ERA may not be sustainable, metrics such as FIP (2.82), xERA (2.84), SIERA (3.09) and xFIP (3.50) all suggest he has done quality work. Weaver has helped his cause with above-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball percentages of 26.6%, 6.5% and 43.1%, respectively. This is the third straight year Weaver has served as an effective late-game option. The 2014 first-round pick was a high-end starting prospect with the Cardinals at the outset of his career. He was solid at times as a starter with the Cardinals and Diamondbacks, but injuries were a frequent occurrence. After a rough 2023 divided among Cincinnati, Seattle and the Yankees, he switched to a full-time relief role and has revived his career. Between the two New York teams, Weaver put up a 2.90 ERA with a 28.9% strikeout rate and a 7.5% percent walk rate across 192 2/3 innings. He ranks fifth among relievers in innings and eighth in holds (58) since 2024. More to come… View Comments (68)