The New York Yankees need to add more pitching, and they could look to bring back a familiar face.
New York is expected to pursue bullpen help ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. The Yankees could use more high-leverage relievers, and analyst Adam Weinrib of FanSided urges the team to trade for reliever Luke Weaver from the New York Mets.
“I know, I know, I know. Former Yankees typically go to the Steve Cohen Mets to live out their money-making dreams and rarely find their way back home,” Weinrib wrote. “But New York (NL) is this year’s most disappointing bloated mess by far, and would they rather pay Weaver $11 million next year or flip him now and pocket the assets?
“Would Mr. Yankees Bag be opposed to coming back to the Bronx, riding a 2.25 ERA, 0.875 WHIP, and scoreless streak dating back to April 30? I know I’d take him back, no hesitation. With a dearth of viable closers on the market, at least Weaver has recent exceptional ninth-inning experience.”
Weaver left the Yankees this offseason, signing a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets, so it’s uncertain if he’s available on the trade market. But if the Mets are open to trading him, Weaver has proven he can pitch well in the Bronx and be an effective high-leverage reliever.
Weaver is 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 32 games with 9 holds, and would add some much-needed help to the backend of the Yankees’ bullpen.
Yankees Didn’t Offer Weaver a Contract
Although Weaver was an effective pitcher for the Yankees, New York didn’t offer him a contract extension.
Weaver signed with the Mets in late December, and he revealed he never got a contract offer from the Yankees.
“They didn’t have an official offer or anything like that,” Weaver told the Foul Territory podcast. “I really loved and valued every single person in that clubhouse. I would’ve loved to continue and for things to roll. But we know there’s always a chapter that ends and somewhere else you have to pick up. I got all love for those guys, I hope they do really well and achieve all they want. There’s no bad blood on my end.”
Why the Yankees didn’t offer Weaver a contract is uncertain, but with how well he’s pitching, it makes sense for him to return to the team.
New York May Look Within to Solve Bullpen
Although the Yankees are expected to trade for some relief help, one insider believes New York could look internally.
Former MLB GM Jim Bowden believes the Yankees could look internally and promote Carlos Lagrange to be the set-up man.
“The answer is at Triple-A, you don’t need to make a trade,” Bowden said on Foul Territory on June 24. “Carlos Lagrange. He throws 101, 102, whatever it is. They are putting him in high-leverage situations, they are getting him ready, he is their guy to set up Bednar.”
Lagrange is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in 16 games, including 11 starts. But, since shifting to a reliever, he’s 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA, showing he can be an impact reliever at the next level.
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