The New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade on Monday ahead of the 6 p.m. MLB trade deadline.
The Mets sent setup man Luke Weaver to the Pirates in exchange for High-A shortstop Sammy Stafura, as a source told Athlon Sports.
Weaver is having an All-Star caliber season and has allowed just one earned run since April 30. On the year, Weaver has a 1.84 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 44 innings. Weaver has one more year of control in 2027, where he will make $12.5 million.
Weaver is a major upgrade for a Pirates bullpen that has a 4.34 ERA as a group, which is 22nd in MLB. In addition to Weaver, the Pirates recently added Camilo Doval and Ron Marinaccio.
Weaver signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets in the offseason. It comes as a bit of a surprise that the Mets traded away the right-hander for a High-A shortstop when they are trying to compete in 2027.
As for said shortstop, Stafura was the No. 9 ranked prospect in the Pirates' farm system, per MLB Pipeline.
Stafura is having a strong campaign between Low-A and High-A, slashing .276/.367/.593 with a .960 OPS, 20 home runs, 54 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 60 games. He has stellar numbers in High-A ball, hitting .301/.365/.656 with a 1.021 OPS, 19 homers and 51 RBI.
The 21-year-old was selected in the second-round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
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