3 potential Black Friday deals in free agency the NY Mets shouldn’t resist

2) Luke Weaver

The Mets are reportedly on the lookout for bullpen upgrades, and they could steal one from the New York Yankees, not named Devin Williams. Luke Weaver’s 2025 season was a solid encore to his 2024 breakout campaign with the Yankees. In 64.2 innings, Weaver posted a 3.62 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP. He had a healthy 27.5% strikeout percentage with a walk rate of 7.6%. However, he was home run prone, with a HR/9 ratio of 1.39. However, there is plenty to suggest that Weaver could improve on his game in 2026.

For one, he was in the 90th percentile or better in multiple stats on Baseball Savant. That includes his 90th percentile 2.98 xERA, 95th percentile .195 xBA, and his 91st percentile 32.8% chase rate. He also fell just short of the 90th percentile of whiff rate at 31%, which was in the 89th percentile, and offspeed pitch run value at +5, which was also in the 89th percentile. 

The second reason is that Weaver would likely benefit from a less home-run-friendly environment. According to Baseball Savant’s park factors, Yankee Stadium is the third most homer-friendly stadium in baseball. Meanwhile, Citi Field is only ranked as the 12th most home run-friendly. Weaver was also in the 50th percentile of barrel rate, compared to just the 30th percentile in 2024. 

Weaver also missed nearly three weeks in June due to a left hamstring strain. Most of his struggles on the mound came seven games off the IL, where he allowed eight earned runs in only 5.1 innings. However, he could end up being a bargain. Both MLB Trade Rumors and Spotrac project him earning a contract with an AAV under $10 million. That’s a steal for a reliever who could be a quality set-up man option.