The last time the New York Yankees and rival New York Mets made a trade for major leaguers was 2022, a year where the Yankees won the AL East and came within a round of the World Series.
So if the Yankees want to consummate a deal with the Mets, they could do so to bring back two former pitchers who helped them get to the Fall Classic two years ago.
The Yankees are targeting Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver, potentially to upgrade their relief pitching, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Weaver and Holmes shared the closer role for the 2024 Yankees, when they won the American League pennant but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Holmes signed with the Mets after the 2024 season, and Weaver signed a free-agent deal across town after the 2025 campaign. The Yankees do not seem to have any interest in acquiring Devin Williams, who also went from the Yankees to the Mets.
The Yankees are Considering a Trade for Clay Holmes
The Yankees saw what Holmes can do until Spencer Jones‘ comebacker took down the Mets starter with a broken bone in his leg.
Yet, Holmes has converted from reliever to starter effectively. He is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts and has a 16-12 record with a 3.26 ERA with the Mets.
“Heâs a proven NY pitcher who was pitching at All-Star level when felled by a fluke injury,” Heyman shared on X (formerly Twitter). “His rehab begins this weekend.”
Holmes can start but he also has been a back-end reliever for a team that reached the World Series. He first unseated Aroldis Chapman as Yankees closer and locked down 74 saves in 220 games over three seasons in the Bronx.
Although he lost his closer role in 2024, Holmes went 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 12 innings over 13 appearances in the 2024 postseason.
The Yankees are Interested in Acquiring Luke Weaver
Weaver has turned around his awful start to the 2026 season and has been one of the most effective relievers over the past month.
Weaver allowed his first earned run in 25 appearances Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Yet, he boasts a 2-1 record, 2.03 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with one save, while looking like the reliever who helped the Yankees get to the World Series.
Contrary to Holmes, Weaver was a starter who the Yankees helped reinvent as a relief pitcher. He had four saves, and a 1.76 ERA in 12 games in the 2024 playoffs.
Weaver struggled at points last season but still had eight saves while splitting time with Williams before each ceded the closer’s role to David Bednar. He did allow five earned runs in 1/3 innings for the Yankees in the playoffs last year.
Still, Weaver has proven he can get high-leverage outs in October, and the Yankees need to bring in at least one additional reliever who can do so. Plus, Weaver is signed through the 2027 season, which means he could also be a back-end reliever next year.
General manager Brian Cashman prefers acquiring controllable players rather than rentals, and Bednar is a free agent after this season, which is why the Yankees are targeting both closers and high-leverage, late-inning relievers.
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