Luke Weaver
Position: RHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 08/21/1993
College: Florida State University
Drafted: 1st round, 27th Overall, 2014 (Cardinals)
How Acquired: Trade (from Mets)
Bonus: $1,843,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: N/A
Overview
The Cards signed Weaver out of the first round back in 2014. He reached the majors quickly as a starter and remained a starter for a number of years, but was frequently injured and, maybe as a result, his performance was erratic and he drifted around a good bit. He finally moved to the bullpen in 2024 and was successful — and healthy — as a reliever. His fastball sits a little over 95 mph and he throws it about half the time. His main secondary pitch is a change and he also throws a cutter. The change is a strong pitch and may account for the fact that he’s been very effective against hitters from both sides of the plate as a reliever. He’s generally had good walk and K rates. Weaver is a flyball pitcher and has had some trouble with gopher balls. The Pirates acquired Weaver from the Mets in a 2026 deadline deal.
2014-16
Weaver pitched just briefly after being drafted, then in 2015 went to high A, where he had a 1.62 ERA in 19 starts, with excellent control. In 2016, the Cards sent him to AA and he had a 1.40 ERA, fanning 88 and walking only ten in 77 innings. He moved up to AAA and made one start, throwing six shutout innings, and the Cards called him up. He had more trouble in the majors, posting a 5.70 ERA in nine games, eight starts, partly due to the fact that he allowed a home run about every five innings. He did have very good walk and K rates.
2017-18
In 2017, Weaver was up and down between AAA and the majors a number of times, in the end dividing his time pretty equally between the two levels. In AAA he went 10-2, 2.55. He made only sporadic starts for the Cards until September, when he stayed with them and put up six straight wins. His numbers in the end were skewed by his last two starts, which went badly, accounting for over half the runs he allowed in 13 major league games. He finished with a 3.88 ERA for the Cards, with a 2.5 BB/9 and 10.7 K/9.
Except for one AAA start, Weaver spent the 2018 season in the majors and had more trouble, posting a 4.95 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. His walk and K rates were weaker than 2017. After the season, the Cards sent him to Arizona as part of a package for Paul Goldschmidt.
2019-23
Weaver got off to a strong start for the Diamondbacks, but he was out from late May until nearly the end of the season with forearm tightness. He made a dozen starts with a 2.94 ERA and his usual strong walk and K rates. In 2020, though, he had a rough season, putting up a 6.58 ERA, also in a dozen starts in the abbreviated season. A home run every five innings caused part of the trouble.
In 2021, Weaver missed over half the season with a right shoulder strain. He made 13 starts in the majors with a 4.25 ERA. The next year, Weaver went out with elbow inflammation in April and didn’t return until June. When he pitched, it was mostly in relief. Arizona traded him to the Royals on August 1. Between the two teams, he threw only 35.2 IP in the majors and got hit hard, with a 6.56 ERA.
The Royals put Weaver on waivers after the season and Seattle claimed him, but then removed him from the roster shortly after that. He became a free agent and signed a major league deal with the Reds in January. He made 21 starts for the Reds and had a very bad time, allowing 24 longballs in just 97 innings, putting up a 6.87 ERA, with a low K rate of 7.9 per nine innings. The Royals released Weaver in mid-August and Seattle signed him a few days later. After three weeks, the Mariners put Weaver on waivers and the Yankees claimed him. He pitched badly with Seattle but had three decent starts with the Yankees. He became a free agent after the season but eventually returned to the Yankees on a major league deal.
2024-26
In 2024, Weaver stayed in the bullpen and stayed healthy. In 62 games he had a 2.89 ERA and a tiny 0.93 WHIP. Gopher balls were a bit of a problem — he allowed ten in 84 innings — but he had a 2.8 BB/9 and 11.0 K/9. He picked up four saves and allowed an opponents’ OPS of just .583. He had a similar season in 2025, although not quite as good. He missed a few weeks with a hamstring strain, but still appeared in 64 games. Home runs were more of a problem, as he allowed ten in 64.2 IP. His WHIP was 1.02, his BB/9 the same as 2024, and he fanned ten per nine innings. After the season he became a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Mets.
Over the first four months of 2026, Weaver was outstanding for the Mets. In 44 innings over 42 games, he had a WHIP of 0.82, a BB/9 and 2.3 and a K/9 of 9.2. This time he allowed only three home runs. Opponents had just a .473 OPS against him. At the deadline, the Pirates acquired him for Sammy Stafura, with the Mets contributing $8,000,000 toward his salary through the end of his contract.
Stats
Transactions
June 8, 2011: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round, 589th overall pick.
June 5, 2014: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round, 27th overall pick; signed June 19.
August 13, 2016: Contract purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals.
December 5, 2018: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals with Carson Kelly, Andy Young and a 2019 competitive balance round B pick to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Paul Goldschmidt.
August 1, 2022: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Kansas City Royals for Emmanuel Rivera.
October 26, 2022: Claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals by the Seattle Mariners.
November 18, 2022: Became a free agent.
January 13, 2023: Signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds.
August 18, 2023: Released by the Cincinnati Reds.
August 22, 2023: Signed as a free agent by the Seattle Mariners.
September 12, 2023: Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners by the New York Yankees.
November 2, 2023: Became a free agent.
January 19, 2024: Signed as a free agent by the New York Yankees.
November 2, 2025: Became a free agent.
December 22, 2025: Signed as a free agent by the New York Mets.
August 3, 2026: Traded by the New York Mets with $8,000,000 to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Sammy Stafura.