The New York Mets are adding reliever Luke Weaver to their bullpen with the pitcher agreeing a $22million, two-year deal after leaving the New York Yankees.
Weaver copies closer Devin Williams in swapping the Bronx for Queens, and he’ll reunite with some other familiar faces at Citi Field.
Juan Soto, of course, is about to enter the second year of his blockbuster 15-year, $765million deal with the Mets while Clay Holmes is also on the roster.
But it has been a rocky rebuild so far for the Mets after missing out on the playoffs in 2025 despite their huge payroll.
Brandon Nimmo was surprisingly traded to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien, while first baseman Pete Alonso entered free agency and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
The arrival of Williams came as established closer Edwin Diaz left the team and signed a three-year, $50million deal with the World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers.
Luke Weaver is swapping the New York Yankees for the Mets on a two-year, $22m deal
He’ll reunite with Juan Soto, one of three Mets players Weaver spend time with at the Yankees
The loss of Diaz and Alonso has caused uproar in parts of the Mets fanbase as the team tries to put the disappointment of 2025 into the past.
Last season, Alonso became the leading home-run scorer in Mets history. He ended the season on a tally of 264 all-time but couldn’t agree terms on a new deal and eventually signed for the Orioles on a $155million three-year contract.
The 32-year-old Weaver, meanwhile, had been at Yankee Stadium since 2023 and last year was the setup man for Williams, who failed to recapture the form that made him so in-demand at the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2024, Weaver even became the closer in place of new Mets teammate Holmes, who endured struggles of his own in the position.
The Mets now use Holmes as a starter, a role that Weaver has said that he’d be open to playing in the future.
‘Being a starting pitcher, honestly, it’s gotta be the best job in the big leagues. Especially when it’s going well,’ Weaver said in September.
‘I’ve just found this ability to do something a little bit different and then use my background of starting and channel it into how I pitch now.’
