Luke Weaver was a good Yankee.
In just about two years, the right-hander went from being a journeyman starter picked up off waivers to one of the more reliable late inning setup men in baseball.
After a strong finish in 2022, he was spectacular during his first full season in the Bronx, pitching to a 2.82 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 103 strikeouts over 84.0 innings of work.
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He was able to build off that success to start last year, but ended up being forced to the sideline and missed an extended period due to a lingering hamstring issue.
The 32-year-old would return to the mound ahead of his initially scheduled timeline, and was never quite able to get back to that dominant groove, struggling mightily down the stretch.
He was unusable during the playoffs, allowing five runs in three ugly appearances.
With his contract expiring this winter the Yanks showed some interest in potentially bringing him back, but they ultimately decided not to make him an offer in free agency.
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After testing the open market, Weaver quickly found himself a new home on the other side of town, agreeing to a two-year pact with the crosstown rival Mets earlier this week.
While it’s a tough blow to the Bombers’ bullpen, Aaron Boone told reporters on Friday that he’s happy to see him receive a nice little increase from his previous deal.
“He got a really good deal that he earned,” the skipper said. “When we got him it seemed like not a big move at the time late in the ’23 season — to turn into the reliever and the role he ended up having for us.
“He threw a lot of really big games and productive games over the last couple of years — credit to him for going out there and making a little alter to his career and it truly paying dividends for him.”
Weaver finished with a 3.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 12 saves, and 191 strikeouts over 129 appearances in pinstripes.
He’ll look to do the same, this time setting up for Devin Williams in orange and blue.
