Luke Weaver Bothered Yankees By End of Season

It's December. That means two things. It's the holiday season, and Steve Cohen has paid another former New York Yankees player. The most recent snag was Luke Weaver, the closer during the Bombers' most recent World Series run.

Calling the signing of Weaver, the self-proclaimed ferocious jungle cat who couldn't be trusted to get a single out in the postseason, a thievery would be an oversell, though. Weaver was good for a time, but since June 20, when he returned from the IL, he sported a 5.31 ERA and 4.42 FIP. He allowed 23 earned runs and eight homers in 39 innings.

Oct 3, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver (30) throws the ball during workouts at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Weaver wasn't the pitcher he was the year prior. Injuries could have factored into it. Even still, it isn't surprising that the Yankees didn't make an offer considering how the year ended.

What Irked the Yankees

There could be more to the story, too. According to Bob Klapisch of NJ.com, the Yankees were not happy with Weaver by the end of the season, but that had less to do with the results of his outings on the field and more with his failure to address the fact that he was tipping his pitches.

"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."

It was in the postseason that Weaver made his comments about it being "late" in the adjustment period to fix what was wrong. That, too, bothered the Yankees' front office.

"The comment irked Yankees officials," Klapisch continued. "If only Weaver had listened to them sooner, they said privately."

Success with the Mets

It wouldn't be the first time the Mets landed a Yankee pitcher who also struggled with pitch tipping. Luis Severino had been batting practice toward the end of his tenure in the Bronx. The Mets signed him, believing they could fix his tipping issues. It worked in Severino's case.

Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino (40) reacts after an out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning during game three of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Sevy pitches to a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings in 2024. He was at the center of the OMG run. It wasn't vintage Sevy, but it was night and day from what he was in that sad ending in pinstripes. Weaver could find the same success with the Mets. His track record of pitching in big games when he's on speaks for itself.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!