Luke Weaver will pitch for yet another team, as the 11-year veteran has been traded by the Mets to the Pirates before the deadline, per MLB Network. In return, the Mets received the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect, shortstop Sammy Stafura.
Weaver was one of the more appealing trade targets on the market, as one of the few high-end relievers available. The 32-year-old right-hander is having the best season of his career to this point, as he has a 1.84 ERA through 44 innings while keeping the ball in the park more often than in the past.
He signed a two-year, $22 million deal with New York this past offseason, following a two season and change run with the Yankees, where he produced a 3.22 ERA over 162 innings with 10.6 strikeouts per nine. Weaver is owed $12.5 million in 2027, but that additional season meant he was more than just a two-month rental.
The Mets added Luke Weaver, Bo Bichette and more to the roster this offseason, but ended up in the NL East basement, anyway. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Weaver was one of the only bright spots among Mets brought to the roster in 2026: starting pitcher Freddy Peralta struggled after he was acquired from the Brewers, free agent infielder Bo Bichette only started hitting like he did with the Blue Jays in mid-June and ex-Mariners slugger Jorge Polanco has been injured and ineffective. Weaver, though, seemingly improved in a way that made him attractive at the deadline to Pittsburgh.
Weaver will slot right into the Pirates’ underwhelming bullpen, which has a 4.34 ERA as a unit. While he could always regress from this career-best form, Weaver was also a high-quality reliever prior to joining the Mets – even previous versions of his work would be a boon to Pittsburgh’s efforts.
Stafura is 21 years old and a second-round pick from the 2023 MLB Draft. He’s in his second stop at High-A, batting .301/.365/.656 with 19 of his 20 home runs this season.
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