Luke Weaver Reflects on Trade to Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates were more aggressive in mid-season roster additions than they typically were during the 2026 season.

For the first time in a long time, Pittsburgh’s front office was a buyer instead of a seller at the deadline. One of the team’s big moves was adding relief pitcher Luke Weaver from the New York Mets.

Weaver’s trade to Pittsburgh wasn’t the first time he moved from one big-league team to another. In fact, it was the third time during the pitcher’s career that he had been traded.

Weaver said that this part of the job is never easy, given how much moving to a new city can impact a family as a whole. He said that sometimes the baseball side of things “becomes an afterthought.”

That said, this mid-season transition didn’t take away from Weaver’s impressions of the Pirates team in 2026 and what their potential could be moving forward.

Weaver is only 33 years old. In that grand scheme of things, that’s not old whatsoever. However, on the Pirates roster, he is certainly one of the veterans and easily one of the most experienced players.

Still, one of the main takeaways that Weaver had during his short time in Pittsburgh to close out the season was just how exciting the Pirates’ future is. The young core the team has is real, and Weaver believes that group will only get better over the years.

"It's a young core. There's a lot of studs. I mean, it's unbelievable," said Weaver.

"I'm like, I feel like the old guy, which is crazy, but I feel like I'm not physically at the old part because I'm trying to keep up with them."

Weaver talked about how one of the biggest transitions for him after being traded to Pittsburgh, or any new organization, for that matter, is working with an entirely different catcher staff.

It takes time to build those relationships, and everything moves faster when you join a new team in the middle of the year.

"There could be some hoops to jump through," Weaver explained.

"You sit down there for the 1st 20 minutes you're there and you're like, this is where I like you to set up. 
This is what I like to do. This is how I think."

Weaver’s first two-month stint with the Pirates was an interesting one. Pittsburgh was clearly viewed as the team’s closer after the trade, but the team didn’t have many save opportunities immediately after the deadline. This inconsistency on the mound was certainly reflected in Weaver’s stats.

The right-hander appeared in 18 games with the Pirates and posted a 4.96 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The numbers could have been worse, but they still weren't exactly what Pittsburgh was hoping for.

Even though Weaver’s stats weren’t exactly what the team was envisioning, the veteran pitcher will still be a key piece to the team’s success in 2027, and it appears that he’s bought into what the Pirates are building.