The veteran pitcher signed with the Mets in free agency in December 2025. Dylan Buell / Getty ImagesAug. 3, 2026 Updated 3:33 pm EDTThe Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.The New York Mets have agreed to send reliever Luke Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates, a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is not official told The Athletic on Monday. The Pirates will send infield prospect Sammy Stafura, who they acquired in the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade at last year’s deadline, back to New York.
Since being shifted to the bullpen by the Yankees in 2024, Weaver has emerged as one of the game’s better late-inning arms. He went from longman to closer for the pennant-winning Yankees in 2024 before sliding back into a set-up role ahead of Devin Williams for both New York teams across 2025 and the first part of this season.
The Mets’ bullpen has been a strength for much of this year, and Weaver has been its strongest part, as he rebounded from a rocky April to deliver a dominant and nearly unhittable stretch from the start of May into July.Weaver’s changeup is his go-to pitch — the one that generates a bunch of chase and swing-and-miss and that makes him just as effective against left-handed batters as against righties. In 2026, he’s leaned back into a cutter that didn’t work much for him last season; it’s given him a vital third pitch that moves opposite of the changeup.The Mets signed Weaver to a two-year, $22 million deal last offseason, meaning he’s under control through the 2027 season.Stafura, 21, has had a monster summer, batting .301 with a 1.021 OPS in 48 games at High-A Greensboro while splitting time between shortstop and second base.Weaver, who has a 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances, brings a needed level of quality to a Pirates bullpen that has struggled all season. The Bucs, who rank 22nd in the majors with a 4.34 bullpen ERA, added Camilo Doval from the Yankees on Saturday and recently designated former closer Dennis Santana for assignment.Aug 3, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
