Former Pitcher Reveals Yankees Never Made Free Agent Offer

Luke Weaver had a tough finish to his tenure with the New York Yankees. He had a propensity for giving up the homer, which had not been the case the year before. He also struggled to get any outs in the postseason when manager Aaron Boone called him out from the pen. It was a sad ending, considering just how dynamic he had been during the World Series run a year before.

Even with that tough finish, Weaver spoke glowingly of his time in the Bronx. On the Foul Territory podcast, Weaver said there wasn't any bad blood on his end, despite the team not making any effort to sign him.

"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."

Jul 13, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver (30) reacts to getting a strikeout to end the inning against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Pitch Tipping

One hypothesis as to why Weaver struggled toward the end of his time with the Yankees was that he had been tipping his pitches. Earlier in the winter, NJ.com's Bob Klapisch reported that the Yankees were unhappy that Weaver did not make a greater effort to fix the problem during the season. Even the team's ace spoke to Weaver about it, according to Klapisch's reporting.

"It bothered the Yankees that Weaver failed to grasp the severity of the problem," Klapisch wrote. "He didn't address it earlier in the season, not even after ace Gerrit Cole bluntly told Weaver that tipping is not the kind of flaw that goes away on its own. Weaver finally got the message in October, but feared the time to make corrections had already passed."

Weaver's time with the Yankees is still considered a success, considering he had been a journeyman before coming over at the end of the 2023 season. In 162 innings, he struck out 191 batters and pitched to a 3.22 ERA. He now pitches for the crosstown Mets.

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