The New York Mets kicked off what should be a very active trade deadline by dealing left-hander A.J. Minter late Thursday night. Their next bullpen trade may not be far behind.
According to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates are among the teams showing strong interest in Mets right-handed relief pitcher Luke Weaver. They added that some teams around the league regard Weaver as the best reliever available if the San Diego Padres do not trade from their bullpen.
Weaver, who turns 33 next month, is in the first year of a two-year, $22 million contract. He is owed $2.4 million after the Aug. 3 trade deadline, with another $11 million due in 2027.
In 41 appearances this season, Weaver has posted a 1.88 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 44 strikeouts over 43 innings. The right-hander has recorded one save in just two opportunities this season, though he does have a decent amount of past closing experience.
An 11-year veteran, Weaver spent the bulk of his career as a starter before breaking out as a reliever for the New York Yankees in 2024. He made 62 appearances with a 2.89 ERA and 11.0 K/9 rate that season, taking over as the Yankees’ closer down the stretch and during their postseason run to the American League pennant.
After the Yankees acquired Devin Williams, Weaver became primarily a setup man in 2025. He still recorded a career-high eight saves last year, posting a 3.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 64.2 innings. The right-hander struggled in the postseason, however, allowing five runs in three appearances amid pitch-tipping concerns.
Those issues appear to have been resolved. Weaver is credited with three plus pitches by Statcast’s run value metric, highlighted by his 95 mph fastball (+6) and 88 mph changeup (+6). Opponents are batting just .163 against him in 2026.
Both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh would benefit from adding another high-leverage reliever, but the Pirates especially need help. Entering Friday, their bullpen ranks 22nd in ERA (4.38) and 24th in WHIP (1.41). They have allowed 187 runs between the seventh and ninth innings so far this season, which is the second-most in MLB.
Despite their shaky bullpen, the Pirates (55-55) are holding strong in the postseason race, sitting just 2.5 games out of a wild card spot. Adding someone like Weaver, who has proven to be effective as both a setup man and closer, could be a game-changer in the late innings.
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Milwaukee, on the other hand, is tied with the Padres for the fifth-best bullpen ERA (3.68) in the league. The Brewers also have the second-best winning percentage (.620) in baseball and are 5.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central.
For a club that already has Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe, adding a reliever of Weaver’s caliber to the back end is more of a luxury than a need. At the same time, stacking the bullpen ahead of the playoffs makes plenty of sense for the Brewers, especially knowing the biggest obstacle standing in their way is a Los Angeles Dodgers team searching for a three-peat.
