Former New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver is among the players who decided to leave the Bronx to sign with the New York Mets. Weaver joined the likes of Devin Williams and Juan Soto in staying in New York, but heading over to Queens.
During his three seasons with the Yankees, Weaver posted a 12-8 record with an ERA of 3.22, 191 strikeouts, and 12 saves in 129 appearances. Nonetheless, this offseason, the 32-year-old left the pinstripes and signed a two-year contract worth $22 million, per MLB.com.
With his time in the Bronx now behind him, Weaver joined “Foul Territory” on Jan. 12 to discuss his departure from the Yankees and noted that he valued his time there as it allowed him to get his career back on track.
“[The Yankees] didn’t have an official offer or anything of that deal,” Weaver said. “I forever am ingrained into that organization these last two years of just resurrecting my career, gaining momentum, and just being able to play on a platform that is just really high.
“To do some really cool things for my own personal gain, just to gain that confidence and that love for baseball once again, and just see where it takes me to the finish. Yeah, I think I really, really loved and valued every single person in that clubhouse and on the team in general.”
Luke Weaver Shares More Details on Yankees Exit
Moreover, Weaver admitted that he would’ve wanted to continue playing for the Yankees. Nonetheless, the business side can often lead players and teams to make difficult decisions that don’t align with their initial desire. As a result, there’s no hard feelings on his part.
“I would have loved to have been able to continue things to roll,” Weaver added. “We know there’s always a chapter that ends, and somewhere else you’ve got to pick up. I [have] all love for those guys; I hope they do extremely well and achieve all they want. There’s no bad blood on my end.
“I don’t believe there is; I’ve got a lot of great text and support from them, and [they] wish me the best. Obviously, they’re not going to root for me when the time comes near, and we’re in a Subway Series. But at the end of the day, just a really cool time there, and everybody there was just so impactful in my life.”
Cody Bellinger’s Demands Could Be Too Much for the Yankees
While the Yankees saw Weaver walk, New York doesn’t appear to want the same thing to happen with free-agent hitter Cody Bellinger. However, the versatile player might be looking for a deal too rich for the pinstripes.
On Jan. 10, SNY’s John Harper shared his thoughts on what the Alex Bregman signing with the Chicago Cubs means for Bellinger.
“It sets the bar higher, I think, for Bellinger in particular,” Harper said. “Maybe Tucker. Bregman is going to be 32 [on March 30]. He’s a year older than Bellinger. He’s three years older than Tucker. Tucker is going to be asking for more years. We know that.
“Bellinger is going to be asking the same thing. That’s a lot of money for Bregman, $35 million. [The Cubs] want to win. I’m all for it. Go get your guys. But I don’t know if this is going to turn the market loose on anybody, because the only two big guys we’re talking about are Bellinger and Tucker as far as position players.”
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