The New York Mets sent the Pittsburgh Pirates tons of cash as part of the Luke Weaver trade ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
This past offseason, the Mets signed Weaver to a two-year, $22 million contract, and he rewarded the team handsomely for it, posting an impressive 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances while racking up 1.9 bWAR.
But with the Mets out of playoff contention this year, the team looked ahead to the future and sent Weaver packing to the Pirates in exchange for infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
They also traded a bunch of cash to Pittsburgh as part of the deal.
Mets Traded Cash to Pirates as Part of Luke Weaver Trade
According to the Associated Press, the Mets sent the Pirates a whopping $8.1 million to Pittsburgh as part of the Weaver trade.
Weaver has approximately $13.4 million remaining on his contract between this season and next season, and with the Pirates on a budget, the Mets sent them cash to help Pittsburgh out financially, while also making sure that they got the prospect they wanted, Stafura, in the deal.
“The New York Mets will pay more than $8.1 million to Pittsburgh as part of this week’s trade that sent pitcher Luke Weaver to the Pirates for minor league infielder Sammy Stafura, covering most of the nearly $13.4 million remaining on the right-hander’s contract. Pittsburgh will in effect pay Weaver just $229,412 this year, a prorated share of the $780,000 minimum salary,” wrote Ronald Blum of the AP.
“Weaver had $2,352,941 remaining of his $8 million salary for 2026 at the time of Monday’s trade and the Mets will pay the Pirates four installments of $530,882 on Aug. 24 and 28, and Sept. 11 and 25, according to trade details obtained by The Associated Press. New York will pay the Pirates $6 million next year, offsetting most of his $11 million salary for 2027. The Mets owe $500,000 each on April 2, 6 and 30; May 14 and 28; June 11 and 25; July 9 and 23; Aug. 6 and 20; and Sept. 3. In all, the Mets will give the Pirates $8,123,529. Weaver’s $22 million, two-year contract had $13,352,941 left at the time of the trade.”
This is a significant amount of cash changing hands in the deal, as the Mets are paying the lion’s share of Weaver’s salary to play for another ballclub. Yet, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns felt that including the cash in the deal was necessary to yield a superior trade return in Stafura.
Why Did the Mets Trade Luke Weaver?
Given how much money New York sent the Pirates as part of the Weaver trade, some fans are left scratching their heads about why the Mets decided to do this trade.
Yes, the Mets are not going to the postseason in 2026, but Weaver was locked up until 2027, so he could have helped the team out next year, as they will still need bullpen help.
The fact that New York is paying down the majority of the money left on Weaver’s deal mostly shows how high the Mets’ front office is on Stafura, a former second-round pick. But if he turns out to be a bust, this trade won’t look so good in the future, since the Mets gave up a quality reliever and paid money to do so.
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