NEW YORK — The reliever the Yankees let walk is thriving across town, and the team that replaced him is sliding toward a sell-off. That combination has put an old name back in circulation in the Bronx.
Luke Weaver left the Yankees in free agency last winter and signed with the Mets. Months later, the idea of bringing him back has surfaced, floated by a Yankees insider as a possible deadline target if the Mets become sellers.
Weaver has been excellent out of the Mets’ bullpen, the Mets have struggled, and the Yankees have an obvious need for late-inning help. A crosstown reunion would be awkward and ironic, yet it is the kind of match that can take shape by August.
Why the idea has legs
The case starts with Weaver’s form. He has not allowed a run in nearly two months, exactly the kind of stretch that turns a reliever into a coveted deadline chip. If the Mets make him available, they could let a bidding war drive up his price.
The Mets’ position is the other half of the equation. They have been brutal this season, per Sporting News, and could pivot to selling before the deadline. A struggling team with a hot reliever on a short-term deal is a classic source of midseason trades.
Weaver signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Mets, which keeps him controllable through next season and raises his appeal to any buyer. That control also means the Mets would not part with him cheaply.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have leaned on a back end of David Bednar and Camilo Doval, both acquired at last year’s deadline. Bullpen depth has been a recurring concern, making a proven leverage arm a sensible target.
Weaver knows the role and the market. Before he left, he had shown he could handle high-leverage innings in New York, the exact trait the Yankees value in a reliever they would trust in October. A familiar arm carries less projection risk than an unknown rental from outside the division.
The reunion talk gained traction because of who raised it. Michael Kay, the Yankees’ longtime television voice, suggested recently that the club could look into reacquiring Weaver, lending the idea a platform it would not have had as pure message-board speculation.
The full-circle history
The irony runs deep. The Yankees first landed Weaver as a waiver claim from the Mariners in September 2023, then watched him reinvent himself in their bullpen. In 2024 he posted a 2.89 ERA over 62 appearances and took over as closer during the run to the World Series.
Last season was bumpier. Weaver opened as the closer but a hamstring injury in early June altered his year, and he finished with a 3.62 ERA before struggling in the postseason. Those struggles were part of why the Yankees pursued other bullpen arms and ultimately let him leave.
Now the trends have flipped. Weaver looks like the pitcher the Yankees hoped he would be, and the Mets, not the Yankees, are the team that may have to sell. That reversal is what makes the reunion more than idle talk.
Where it stands
For now, this is a possibility built on circumstance rather than a deal in motion. The Mets have not declared themselves sellers, the Yankees have not signaled intent, and the deadline remains weeks away.
What is real is the fit. The Yankees need bullpen help, Weaver is pitching like a high-value rental with term remaining, and the Mets’ slide could make him available. The pieces line up even if the conversation has not formally started.
If the Mets fall further out of the race, a reunion that sounded improbable in the offseason could become a genuine deadline subplot. The Yankees and Weaver, separated by a single winter and a few subway stops, may not be done with each other yet.
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