Ben Cherington makes up for Pirates trade deadline inactivity with huge Mets deal

Ben Cherington waited until the Pirates’ trade deadline anxiety had reached a breaking point, but he finally delivered the move Pittsburgh desperately needed.

The Pirates are acquiring right-handed reliever Luke Weaver from the New York Mets, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. Sammy Stafura, the Pirates' No. 9 prospect acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in last year's Ke'Bryan Hayes trade, is going to the Mets in return.

After watching reported targets Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, Jo Adell and Ward get traded elsewhere, Pittsburgh had done nothing on deadline day while obvious holes remained in the bullpen and lineup. At that point, landing Weaver felt like the only acceptable outcome.

The 32-year-old immediately gives manager Don Kelly a legitimate late-inning weapon and provides stability to a bullpen that has repeatedly cost the Pirates games. Weaver entered Monday with a dominant 1.88 ERA in 41 appearances and is under contract through 2027.

Pirates acquire Luke Weaver from Mets in much-needed trade deadline win

Weaver signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Mets during their aggressive offseason, but little has gone right for a club that entered the deadline with a 47-66 record. Weaver, however, has been one of the few bright spots.

He has posted a sparkling 1.84 ERA across 44 innings, pairing that production with a 26.6% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 43.1% ground-ball rate. Weaver has benefited from a low .204 batting average on balls in play and an elevated 82.8% strand rate, suggesting some regression could be coming.

Even so, the underlying numbers remain encouraging. Weaver owns a 2.82 FIP, 2.84 expected ERA, 3.09 SIERA and 3.50 xFIP. He may not continue pitching like a sub-2.00 ERA reliever, but nearly every metric suggests his success is more than smoke and mirrors.

The price of a top-10 prospect reflects Weaver’s performance and additional year of team control, but it's a price the Pirates should be extremely comfortable paying.

Stafura has been scorching at High-A this season, batting .301 with 19 home runs and a 1.021 OPS in 47 games. The Cincinnati Reds originally selected him in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft before sending him to Pittsburgh in the Hayes trade.

Giving up a prospect of Stafura’s caliber is significant, but this is the type of aggressive deal contenders make. The Pirates needed another dependable reliever, and Cherington acquired one of the best available for a talented prospect whose pathway to the major leagues was always going to be blocked by Konnor Griffin.

Pittsburgh still needs a right-handed bat before the deadline passes. But after waiting far too long, Cherington finally made a move substantial enough to justify the suspense.

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