The Milwaukee Brewers eye a high-stakes divisional battle for New York Mets' reliever Luke Weaver.
Having already expressed interest in potentially working out a deal to bring back Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets, it's now been confirmed that the Milwaukee Brewers are in the market for another Mets player.
Reliever Luke Weaver is yet another name Milwaukee is targeting, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal.
Milwaukee, to no surprise, isn't the only team interested. So far, the Pittsburgh Pirates have also expressed interest, so this could be a matter of the Brewers bringing in Weaver so they don't have to deal with him in the National League Central.
Seeing as the trade deadline is now just a few days away, these deals are going to start coming in at a rapid rate. Weaver is undoubtedly on the trade block, as is Peralta, simply due to the fact that the Mets are 47-63 this season and an astonishing 17.5 games back in the NL East, the second biggest last-place deficit in all of baseball.
Weaver could head to Milwaukee
Sammon and Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and Pirates are interested in Weaver, "according to people briefed on the conversations who were not authorized to speak freely."
Should the San Diego Padres choose to hold onto Mason Miller, as they should, that would make Weaver the best reliever on the market. Miller has an extremely high asking price, for good reason, and that may not be a deal the Brewers are willing to make.
Miller's team-friendly contract sets him apart from the rest, but Weaver's deal isn't the end of the world. The 32-year-old is owed $2.4 million after August 3, according to Sammon and Rosenthal, and he'll be owed another $11 million in 2027. All things considered, the contract could be far worse, but $11 million is a steep price to pay when Milwaukee has the likes of Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill who have held things down all season long.
Weaver would strengthen the Brewers bullpen
With only one save on the year, it's not like Weaver would be coming in and taking Megill's spot. There's no doubt that would be the case if the Brewers trade for Miller, but no one would bat an eye at Miller removing Megill from his usual role in the ninth inning.
As for Weaver, the Florida native sports a 1.88 ERA this season and a 0.84 WHIP. His numbers are incredible, especially for them coming in a 43-inning sample size. Overall, Weaver is 2-1, and he's taken a huge step in the right direction after his struggles with the New York Yankees last season. Currently, he has a 1.9 WAR, which is tied for his career high.
