Free Agent Pitcher Says Yankees Rejuvenated His Career

Luke Weaver was a journeyman before he went to the New York Yankees at the end of the 2023 season. He was coming off two disastrous seasons in a row, where he had a 6.56 ERA in 2022 and a 6.40 ERA in 2023. A handful of starts for the Yankees to close out the 2023 season changed his fortunes. He started three games and showed just enough to earn a spot back next season.

Weaver's finish to 2023 was very different from how his 2024 ended. He went from struggling to stick with a team to then closing out games on a World Series run, taking over for the All-Star Clay Holmes, who ran out of favor as far as being a closer goes. In 15.1 innings pitched last postseason, he allowed three earned runs and was the steady hand in the ninth inning that Holmes failed to be.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver (30) pitches during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Rejuvenated Luke Weaver's Career

Even though 2025 did not go as smoothly as the year prior had, the reliever said that New York will always have a "place in his heart." It was the place where he got his career on track after all.

"It feels a bit like a rejuvenation," Weaver said, according to Gary Phillips of the Daily News. "If I never came back here, it would always hold a big place in my heart. It's just been incredible, and I'll forever be indebted to the memories that came here."

When asked if Weaver would consider a return to the Yankees, he was open to the idea.

"I would want to, of course," Weaver said. "I would love to continue to keep that going."

Luke Weaver Open to Return

One thing Weaver is open to in free agency is getting back to starting. It's what he was primarily used as in his career, and what his first role with the Yankees was in those 2023 outings, when the team had fallen out of playoff contention.

Weaver told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on their podcast in September that being a starter is the best job in the world.

"For so long, being a starting pitcher, you don't expect to be a reliever," Weaver expressed on the podcast. "Being a starting pitcher, honestly, it's gotta be the best job in the big leagues. Especially when it's going well. But I've just found this niche. I've just found this ability to do something a little bit different and then use my background of starting and channel it into how I pitch now."

If Weaver does find a starting job, it probably won't be for the Yankees. They haven't given any indication that they're open to this for him.

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