Nobody probably wishes they stayed with the NY Mets more than Luke Weaver

Luke Weaver was the prize of the trade deadline when it came to relief pitchers, which is why some New York Mets fans were a little peeved that David Stearns only got one prospect in return for the right-hander's services. And yet, that trade is aging rather gracefully just two weeks after coming to fruition.

We've yet to see the best version of Sammy Stafura, who has a 98 wRC+ through nine games with the Brooklyn Cyclones, though the 21-year-old should get better as he settles in with his third organization over the past 13 months. Meanwhile, Weaver has hardly seen any action in Pittsburgh, getting into just three games with his new team.

None of those appearances involved save opportunities, by the way, despite the fact that he was supposed to be installed as their new closer. Since the trade deadline, the Pirates are 5-8, including a series loss to the Mets. Meanwhile, Weaver's former team has caught fire, going 9-3 in that same span with multiple sweeps. It's probably too little, too late for the sake of a playoff push in Queens, but the Bucs' swoon has also dropped them on the periphery of the Wild Card race.

Is this becoming a rare case where a player actually regrets leaving a seller at the deadline?

Luke Weaver's desire to stay with Mets is looking more prescient by the day

Weaver has been fine with the Pirates, introducing himself to the fanbase with a pair of scoreless outings before getting rocked by the Red Sox over the weekend (three runs, four hits allowed in one inning of work). The real problem is that he went a whole week between his first two appearances with the team, which tied his longest stretch of inactivity for the whole season (also April 11-18 with the Mets).

Prior to getting dealt, the 32-year-old made it clear that he wanted to stick around in New York, having had success with both the Yankees and Mets in recent years. Beyond the final season on his current contract in 2027, he "made a commitment" to the organization, expressing interest in signing an extension with the Mets despite their poor performance this year.

Some will certainly question the logic behind trading a star reliever who was willing to see the bullpen through a rebuild. The Mets, having recently lost Edwin Diaz in free agency, know as well as anyone how difficult it can be to sustain success in the late innings of ballgames. Turning over more than half of the relief corps in one fell swoop was a dangerous gambit.

But it's also true that relievers are inherently volatile; Weaver himself can't escape that label, oscillating between excellent campaigns (in 2024 and 2026) and mediocre ones (2025). Getting a top shortstop prospect for someone who is hardly even playing for his new team was good business, especially if the front office can replicate their success with Weaver with future free-agent signings.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow