PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a significant push to improve their beleaguered bullpen at the trade deadline Monday, acquiring veteran right-hander Luke Weaver from the New York Mets.
Pittsburgh, looking to end a decade-long playoff drought, sent 21-year-old shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura to the Mets in exchange for the 32-year-old Weaver.
The addition of Weaver signals an unusually aggressive financial push by the typically frugal Pirates. Weaver is in the first season of a $22 million, two-year contract.
The move comes with Pittsburgh’s bid for a National League wild card flickering a bit following a 2-7 stretch in which the bullpen faltered repeatedly, most notably in an 8-7 loss to Cincinnati last Friday when a two-run lead in the eighth inning quickly evaporated.
The Pirates have blown 20 of 42 save opportunities this season and already released reliever Dennis Santana, who began the year splitting the closing duties with Gregory Soto.
The trade for Weaver is the second significant acquisition by the Pirates around the deadline. Pittsburgh brought in former All-Star reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday. Doval allowed a run in one inning of work during his Pirates debut in a loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.
Weaver had been one of the few bright spots this season for the last-place Mets, going 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA and one save in 42 appearances. A converted starting pitcher, Weaver has been excellent since moving to the bullpen full-time in 2024 with the New York Yankees. He has a 13-8 record with a 2.90 ERA and 13 saves in 168 games with the Mets and Yankees over the last two-plus seasons.
While the Pirates could use Weaver as a closer, he’s more likely to see action in high-leverage situations before the ninth. Soto has been relatively effective over the last month, posting a 1.59 ERA with three saves in 11 1/3 innings since July 2.
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