NEW YORK — The champagne from the 2024 World Series run has long dried, but the Yankees front office continues to wrestle with tough decisions. While much of the attention surrounds Cody Bellinger’s future and possible new acquisitions, another pressing question lingers: should Luke Weaver remain in pinstripes?
The right-hander who became an unexpected postseason hero in 2024 turned into a liability in 2025. His decline leaves general manager Brian Cashman facing one of the offseason’s most difficult bullpen calls.
What went wrong in the playoffs
Weaver’s postseason struggles were glaring. In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, he came on in the seventh inning and failed to retire a batter. All three hitters reached base, and all three scored. The Yankees lost the opener, and Weaver took the defeat.
The Division Series against Toronto was no better. Again in Game 1, Weaver faced three hitters in the seventh. Again, all reached base. Again, all crossed the plate, contributing to a 10-1 blowout loss.
Manager Aaron Boone quickly pulled back on his usage. Weaver was limited to mop-up duty in a lopsided Game 2 loss and was never trusted again as the Yankees’ season ended in four games.
“I don’t feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack,” Weaver admitted afterward, an unusually candid acknowledgment of mental struggles from a major league pitcher.
The pitch tipping problem
Scouts and insiders pointed to a critical flaw. Weaver was tipping his pitches, giving hitters advance notice of what was coming.
Weaver admitted the problem and worked with Yankees coaches, even alongside ace Gerrit Cole, to clean up his mechanics. But according to NJ Advance Media’s Bob Klapisch, the team believed Weaver never fully grasped how severe the issue was.
“(It’s) pretty late in the adjustment period,” Weaver said after the Blue Jays eliminated New York, noting that the flaw had persisted for months.
One evaluator put it more bluntly: “(Hitters) were on everything. They knew exactly what was coming.”
That breakdown cost him Boone’s confidence. By the time the Yankees faced elimination, Camilo Doval had become the more trusted option.
The velocity concerns
Warning signs had surfaced as early as spring training. An American League scout noticed Weaver’s fastball had dropped from his 2024 levels.
“This was the same guy who was throwing 96-97 in the World Series. Suddenly I’m seeing 91-92 in Florida,” the scout said. “My first thought was, ‘My gosh, I hope he’s not hurt.’”
The Yankees downplayed the decline, with Boone suggesting Weaver simply needed more time to rebuild arm strength after a heavy postseason workload. But the numbers never rebounded fully. His average fastball dropped from 95.7 mph in 2024 to 95.1 in 2025.
More concerning than the velocity dip was the loss of life on the pitch.
“(Weaver’s) ball just didn’t have the same finish it used to,” another scout said. “A guy like (Cam) Schlittler, his fastball has finish. Weaver didn’t have it anymore after ’24.”
The hamstring injury changed everything
For a time, Luke Weaver looked like his 2024 self. He began 2025 strong, throwing 14 scoreless innings in April and finishing May with a 2.31 ERA. Then came a hamstring injury in June, and everything shifted.
From July forward, he struggled badly. He posted a 7.15 ERA in July, and by September his ERA ballooned to 9.64. His final season line of 3.62 ERA masked how inconsistent he became.
“He was never the same after that,” a scout texted Klapisch. “The mechanics looked different and his command went backwards from that point.”
The injury appeared to trigger a cascade that hurt his mechanics, velocity, and control all at once.
The Yankees’ decision matrix
The Yankees face easier calls elsewhere in the bullpen. David Bednar, arbitration-eligible, will return. Left-hander Tim Hill, who had a 3.09 ERA, will see his $3 million option exercised. Devin Williams, who made $8.6 million while struggling through a shaky season, is expected to be cut loose.
Weaver sits in the middle. His salary was just $2 million in 2025, making him a cheap option. His 2024 postseason heroics created goodwill with fans and teammates. But can the Yankees trust him again after such a dramatic regression?
Reports already link the Red Sox to possible interest if Weaver hits the open market. Watching him rebound in Boston would be a nightmare scenario for Cashman and the Yankees.
The cautionary tale of overuse
Some scouts view Weaver’s arc as a warning sign.
“A team will ride the (bleep) out of a hot reliever, and a year later he can’t wipe his you know what,” one said. “It’s the nature of the beast.”
The Yankees leaned heavily on Weaver during their 2024 championship run. He delivered elite production in the moment, but the price might have been paid in 2025.
Now Cashman and Boone must decide whether Weaver’s collapse was the result of injury and mechanical flaws — both fixable — or the beginning of permanent decline.
A decision that carries weight
For the Yankees, the wrong call could sting either way. Let him go, and Weaver might rediscover his form elsewhere, possibly with Boston. Keep him, and another down season could cost the bullpen crucial depth in 2026.
Weaver’s story underscores the brutal truth of bullpen arms in today’s game. One year you’re a hero. The next year, you’re expendable.
As the Yankees begin their winter meetings in Tampa, Luke Weaver remains one of the most complicated questions on their offseason checklist.
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