Should the Mets trade Luke Weaver?
The set-up man has been lights out the past two months. Plus, New York is back in action tonight in Atlanta.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
David Stearns has made many mistakes but he has built a rock solid bullpen this season (SNY)
This team still has a lot of problems to sort out and Stearns needs to learn from his mistakes if he wants to fix them (Newsday)
It has been one week since Carlos Mendoza was let go but how should the Mendoza era be remembered? (MLB.com)
Andy Green is the manager now but who are the potential candidates to take over thr mangerial position next season (NY Post)
Injury Updates 🏥
OF Luis Robert Jr. (herniated disc) went hitless with two strikeouts while playing centerfield in his rehab game with Syracuse
INF Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout while DH-ing in Triple-A
RHP Dedniel Núñez (Tommy John) had his rehab transferred to Double-A. He pitched one inning with one hit and one strikeout in his appearance
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: Rich and Andrew went on the pod to cover another losing week of Mets baseball and the ‘departure’ of Carlos Mendoza, with a preview of the week ahead against the Blue Jays and Braves.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
LF MJ Melendez (Triple-A): 1-for-3, HR, BB, 2 K
C Kevin Parada (Double-A): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (36-51) vs. Braves (50-34)
Where: Truist Park — Atlanta, GA
Starters: RHP Christian Scott (2-0, 3.20 ERA) vs. LHP Grant Holmes (4-4, 3.96 ERA)
When: 7:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
How should the Mets handle Luke Weaver at the trade deadline? ✍️
It is pretty clear at this point that the Mets will be sellers at the trade deadline. That process already began when David Peterson was shipped off to Chicago following a doubleheader last week, so it’s safe to say that David Stearns is going to be a busy man as the deadline moves closer.
When you look at this Mets roster, the bullpen has far and away been this team’s greatest strength, and now it could be what garners the club valuable assets as contending teams desperately look to fortify their relief corps.
Arms like Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter are both free agents at the end of the season so they are obvious candidates to be dealt by the August 3rd deadline. Luke Weaver, on the other hand, is a far more interesting case. He won’t be a free agent until the conclusion of the 2027 season, so the Mets don’t have to move him if they’re hoping on bouncing back next year. Unless a team comes to them with an offer they can’t refuse, Stearns and company shouldn’t have to be forced to make a move when it comes to Weaver.
After a down 2025 with the Yankees, it is truly astounding how good Weaver has been for the Mets this season. The 32-year-old has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball the past two months.
After struggling over the first few weeks, Weaver now has a 2.00 ERA on the season with 39 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. That ERA drop can be credited to the fact that Weaver has not allowed a run since April 30th, an outrageous stretch covering 22 appearances where he’s struck out 31 batters while walking just five.
Since May 1st — the start of this scoreless stretch — Weaver has a 1.2 fWAR which is good for 5th best in the league over that time period. To the surprise of no one, his 0.00 ERA is tops in the league over that same timeframe, where he also ranks 4th in batting average against and 2nd in WHIP.
Weaver could undoubtedly make any contending team better as either a closer or a set-up man and brings even more value as he is under team control for another season, making him arguably the Mets greatest trade chip this summer.
Before making a decision on what they’ll do with him, though, this organization will need to ask themselves if they are going to be contenders next year. Weaver and Devin Williams are a great tandem at the end of ballgames and they will need both of them next season if they are actually committed to winning. But if 2027 is going to be more of a rebuild/rest type of season, then that is a situation where it might make more sense to cash in on Weaver’s value now and see what teams are willing to part with for him.
At the end of the day, what this franchise’s plans are for 2027 will ultimately decide whether or not trading someone like Luke Weaver should be in play over these next few weeks. As a whole, these next few months should prove to be critical for the future of this organization. Fans will have to hope David Stearns can figure out how to navigate them better than these past few months.
Around the League 🚩
Both RHP Cade Cavalli and 1B Wilson Contreras received a seven game suspension for their actions that led to a brawl on the field between the Nationals and Red Sox (ESPN)
The Dodgers turned a six-run deficit into a five-run victory with a furious comeback over the Padres
Guardians SS Brayan Rocchio ripped a walk-off home run to cap a comeback win over the division rival White Sox
Rays LHP Ian Seymour struck out eight as Tampa Bay won their 8th straight game with a 5-2 win vs. the Royals
Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko is facing a lengthy recovery after breaking his back during a collision with a teammate in the outfield (ESPN)
Phillies 1B Bryce Harper, who won the Home Run Derby in Nats Park when he was still with the Nationals in 2018, has not said if he will compete again now that the game is in Philly (MLB.com)
With teams all bunched together in the AL playoff race, they could have an impact on the Trade Deadline (MLB.com)