The Pirates have acquired right-handed reliever Luke Weaver from the Mets for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, both teams announced. The Pirates will also receive $8MM in cash considerations, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. The Mets will cover $2MM of Weaver’s contract this year and $6MM in 2027. The Weaver acquisition puts the Pirates one player over the 40-man roster limit. They will announce a corresponding move later.

As part of an aggressive offseason, the Mets added Weaver on a two-year, $22MM pact in free agency. Little has gone right for the Mets since then, evidenced by their 47-66 record and status as surefire sellers, but Weaver has been a rare bright spot.

While primarily relying on a 95 mph fastball and an excellent changeup, the 32-year-old has turned in 44 innings of 1.84 ERA ball. Weaver has benefited from a .204 batting average on balls in play and an 82.8% strand rate, though metrics such as FIP (2.82), xERA (2.84), SIERA (3.09) and xFIP (3.50) all suggest he has done quality work. He has helped his cause with above-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball percentages of 26.6%, 6.5% and 43.1%, respectively.

This is the third straight year Weaver has served as an effective late-game option. The 2014 first-round pick was a high-end starting prospect with the Cardinals at the outset of his career. He was solid at times as a starter with the Cardinals and Diamondbacks, but injuries were a frequent occurrence. After a rough 2023 divided among Cincinnati, Seattle and the Yankees, he switched to a full-time relief role and has revived his career. Between the two New York teams, Weaver put up a 2.90 ERA with a 28.9% strikeout rate and a 7.5% percent walk rate across 192 2/3 innings. He ranks fifth among relievers in innings and eighth in holds (58) since 2024.

Weaver has primarily worked in a setup role over the past two-plus years, but he does have some experience as a closer. He saved 12 games with the Yankees from 2024-25, and that is a role he could take on in Pittsburgh. Dennis Santana opened the season as the Pirates’ closer, but he pitched so poorly that they designated him for assignment in late July. They have since acquired both Weaver and former Yankees teammate Camilo Doval, who has significant experience as a closer.

Doval was an All-Star and the National League saves leader with the Giants in 2023, but his stock has fallen since then. Weaver is undoubtedly the more trustworthy arm at this point. The hope for the Pirates is the pair will upgrade a bullpen that ranks 22nd in ERA and blown saves. The Pirates’ subpar bullpen is among the reasons they are an underwhelming 56-57 and 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot.

Although Pittsburgh is on the outside of the playoff mix, it is a major step forward that the team is buying at the deadline. Even if the Pirates do not rally for a postseason berth and snap a 10-year drought, they at least have a realistic chance of reaching the .500 mark for the first time since 2018. The big-budget Mets were reportedly not planning to pay down salary in trades, but that will not be the case in this deal. The low-payroll Pirates will get some help paying Weaver, who has $13.4MM left on his contract. That includes an $11MM salary next season. The Mets will handle the majority of it.

With Weaver heading out the door, the Mets are landing Stafura in return. This is the second swap Stafura has been a part of since the Reds drafted him in the second round in 2023, as they sent him to the Pirates in the teams’ Ke’Bryan Hayes trade before last year’s deadline. Prior to the Weaver deal, there were mixed opinions on where Stafura ranked in the Pirates’ system. MLB Pipeline placed Stafura ninth, Baseball America put him 25th and FanGraphs had him at No. 32.

The 21-year-old Stafura has played 47 games at the High-A level and 13 in Single-A this season. Over a combined 259 plate appearances, he has slashed .276/.367/.593 with 2o home runs, 20 stolen bases and an 11.6% walk rate. While Stafura’s overall output has been 33 percent better than average, per wRC+, it has come with a 30.1% strikeout rate. He owns an overall 29.4% mark as a a minor leaguer. There remain questions as to how much the righty-swinging Stafura will hit in the majors, Matt Eddy of Baseball America notes, but he has drawn good reviews in the field and on the base paths. Stafura’s blend of speed and defense could at least give him a solid floor.

Before trading Weaver, the Mets waved goodbye to starters Freddy Peralta and David Peterson and relievers A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazobán in recent deals. There may be more to come if they can find takers for other potential trade chips ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the Pirates were “pushing hard” to acquire Weaver. Chelsea Janes of SNY noted Stafura was in the trade. Jorge Castillo of ESPN confirmed the Pirates’ Weaver acquisition.