Luke Weaver’s free agency: Where does reliever stand and will he reunite with Yankees? – The Athletic
By the end of the 2025 season, Luke Weaver went from being one of New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s most dependable relievers to someone he could not trust in high-leverage spots. But that doesn’t mean the club should not pursue a reunion with the self-proclaimed “ferocious jungle cat.”
In fact, the Yankees have expressed “genuine” interest in re-signing Weaver, according to a league source, and the 32-year-old reliever would be interested in rejoining New York. Talks between the Yankees and Weaver are not far along. The right-hander is weighing his options after about 10 teams have checked in on him this offseason. Weaver previously expressed openness to returning to starting pitching — he has 106 career starts — but no team has indicated it views him in that role.
The free-agent relief market has been active, with Devin Williams, Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan among the notable relievers who have signed. Pete Fairbanks and Weaver are arguably the two best relievers still available on the market. Weaver is open to any high-leverage role, whether it be closing or a fireman role, as he held with the Yankees for part of 2025 and 2024, according to a source briefed on the pitcher’s desires.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last week that he would “love to get more quality arms” in the bullpen. Currently, the pen includes David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill and likely Jake Bird, leaving three open spots.
“You want your manager to be able to mix-and-match and have really quality people that can handle themselves when you’re in the win zone — the seventh, eighth and ninth inning,” Cashman said at the Winter Meetings. “Right now, we’ve lost some really quality arms, and we’ll see what we can do to replace them.”
The Yankees selected right-hander Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft, so he’s on the 26-man roster and will be a relief option. However, Rule 5 picks often return to their original teams or go on waivers if they don’t pan out. Boone mentioned left-hander Brent Headrick possibly having a bigger role next year. Ryan Yarbrough is expected to pitch out of the bullpen; however, he’s projected to start the season in the rotation.
There’s space for Weaver, or someone of his caliber, to join the Yankees’ bullpen in 2026. Doval has the stuff to be a dominant reliever, but he’s struggled with command the past two seasons. The same can be said for Cruz, whose splitter is one of the best pitches in the sport, but his command is erratic.
What would make Weaver a natural fit for the Yankees is that they need as many relievers as possible who miss bats. Weaver ranked in the 91st percentile in chase rate and the 89th percentile in whiff rate. Of all the free-agent relievers, Weaver finished 10th in whiff rate. Even though Weaver’s ERA jumped from 2.89 in 2024 to 3.62 in 2025, clubs target pitchers more for their underlying metrics than their surface numbers.
Luke Weaver ranked 40th on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board. (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
Out of Bednar, Doval and Cruz, the current projected top three in the Yankees’ bullpen, Weaver had the highest in-zone whiff rate in 2025. Over the past two seasons, he has shown an unflinching ability to attack hitters in the zone, something the club’s staff struggled with overall.
He’s also shown he can handle pitching in New York, which is not automatic. The Yankees have had many flameouts over the years.
Weaver’s 2025 season went sideways when he strained his left hamstring in late May. After returning in June, Weaver posted a 4.42 FIP through the end of the season. Before the injury, Weaver’s 2.65 FIP was in line with his breakout the prior year. He became unusable late in the 2025 season after dealing with pitch tipping that threw off his mechanics and his overall confidence on the mound. If that’s behind him, there’s no reason to think he can’t again be one of MLB’s best relievers, as he was in 2024 and before the injury this year.
One thing to consider on a potential reunion with Weaver, who ranked 40th on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board: The Yankees haven’t been willing to commit to premium free-agent relievers in recent years. They signed Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton to three-year deals in 2019. But since then, they haven’t given any reliever a standard multiyear contract, which is what Weaver is seeking.
The Yankees’ bullpen is not strong on paper right now, so bringing back Weaver would make sense. But recent history tells us that he’ll be pitching elsewhere in 2026 and beyond.
