Not only did the New York Yankees let well-liked relief pitcher Luke Weaver become the latest to go across the Whitestone Bridge to Queens for nothing, they didn’t even put up a fight.
According to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Yankees did not offer Weaver a contract before he signed with the New York Mets on a two-year, $22 million contract that was reported Wednesday.
Weaver, of course, was the Yankees’ closer in their run to the World Series in 2024, supplanting Clay Holmes in that role late in the season. He was a high-leverage reliever in 2025 too, both setting up for Devin Williams and closing at points before the Yankees overhauled their bullpen at the trade deadline
But now Weaver, Holmes and Williams are members of the Mets, joining Juan Soto to play for former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza in Flushing.
The Yankees Were Not Among The Final Bidders For Luke Weaver
The Yankees reportedly were interested in retaining Weaver in the final days before he signed with the Mets, but Sherman reported that was not the case.
“The Yankees were not part of the bidding to try to retain Weaver, according to a source,” Sherman posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
Few felt the Yankees would put forth the effort to retain Weaver at the money he ultimately commanded, particularly after he regressed in 2025. Despite his versatility, Weaver had just a 0.8 bWAR in 2025 and pitched to a 135.00 ERA in the postseason by getting just one out over three appearances and surrendering five earned runs.
The Yankees Could Afford To Lose Luke Weaver
Yankees fans are likely to miss Weaver’s candid interview responses and his ability to battle on the mound in any situation, plus it may be an ego blow to Yankees fans, especially losing another player across town.
So the optics of letting him walk without at least negotiating a new contract aren’t great. But the Yankees have been successful at turning coal into diamonds in their bullpen, notably Weaver and Holmes, the latter of whom saved 74 games for the Yankees in four seasons and was an All-Star twice.
The most likely candidate to become the next Weaver is Fernando Cruz, who was one of the few incumbents that manager Aaron Boone went to after the trade deadline in high-leverage spots. Cruz, who will turn 36 in March, had a career-best WHIP (1.18) and pitched to a 3.49 ERA while locking down his first two major-league saves over 49 appearances last season.
Plus, the Yankees surrendered assets for Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies in 2025, and even though he struggled after the trade — Bird had a 27.00 ERA in three appearances and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — Bird only turned 30 in December and will come much cheaper than Weaver’s $11M AAV.
Both Bird and Cruz are in their first year of arbitration eligibility, which means they’re under both team and cost control. They both are better at Weaver at getting swings and misses, since Cruz had a 13.5 strikeout-per-nine rate in 2025 and Bird’s 10.7 K/9 rate in 2025 was superior to Weaver’s rate of 10.0 in 2025.
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