The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the acquisition of right-hander Luke Weaver from the New York Mets on Monday, with the Mets receiving infield prospect Sammy Stafura in the transaction. Weaver is under contract through next season with an $11 million salary, and New York will cover $2 million of the approximately $3.6 million owed to him for the remainder of the current season, plus $6 million in compensation for next year.
Weaver, who turns 33 later this month, has been a dominant force in recent months after a difficult April. The right-hander maintains a 1.84 ERA with 45 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched. His postseason experience includes serving as the closer for the New York Yankees two years ago during their American League pennant-winning run. The Pirates’ bullpen ranked 22nd in ERA and 17th in WAR heading into the trade deadline. With the additions of Weaver and Camilo Doval, Pittsburgh now has right-handed relief options alongside left-handed anchors Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
Stafura, a 21-year-old New York native, came to the Pirates organization in last year’s trade involving Ke’Bryan Hayes with the Cincinnati Reds. The prospect is currently batting .276/.367/.593 with 20 home runs in Single-A play this season, including 14 homers during July. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 9 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system, citing his defensive abilities.
The Weaver trade represents the latest move in the Mets’ substantial deadline sell-off. The club has previously dealt A.J. Minter to Minnesota, Freddy Peralta to Tampa Bay, Huascar Brazobán to Chicago, and Brooks Raley to Philadelphia. Additional moves involving relievers Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor, as well as potentially Luis Robert Jr., are expected before the 6 p.m. ET deadline.
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