The New York Yankees made waves with some high-profile bullpen acquisitions this past offseason, most notably bringing in Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz.
But the reliever making the biggest impact so far?
That would be veteran right-hander Luke Weaver.
After inking a two-year contract ahead of the 2024 season, which includes a team option for 2025, Weaver delivered a stellar 2.89 ERA last year—making the Yankees’ decision to exercise that option a no-brainer.
This season, he’s taken things to another level.
13 Scoreless Innings and Nasty Stuff
Weaver has kicked off the 2025 campaign with 13 shutout innings, striking out batters at a rate of 9.00 per nine innings and stranding every single runner.
His left-on-base rate? A perfect 100%. Opponents are hitting the ball on the ground just 31% of the time, but that’s by design—not by accident.
His pitch mix is doing the heavy lifting. He leans on his fastball 52.2% of the time, and hitters are managing just a .091 batting average against it. His changeup has been even more devastating, holding batters to a minuscule .059 average and a .118 slugging percentage.
Weaver’s sharp command of those two pitches has allowed him to scale back his cutter usage and toy with a slider more often.
So far, it’s paying off big time.
What’s the Long-Term Plan?
Now comes the big question.
Should the Yankees consider locking Weaver up with an early extension?
At 31, Weaver is looking every bit like a high-leverage setup man—and with Devin Williams battling control issues, there’s a case to be made that Weaver has been the Yankees’ most dependable bullpen arm this season.
GM Brian Cashman might be wise to open extension talks sooner rather than later. Still, from Weaver’s perspective, there’s plenty of motivation to wait it out. If he keeps up this pace, he could be in line for a significant multi-year offer from a contender needing bullpen depth.
If it eventually becomes a choice between Williams and Weaver, it won’t be an easy call.
But with the way Weaver is throwing—and how comfortable he looks in pinstripes—the Yankees could have a real shot at keeping him in the Bronx beyond 2025.
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