The Mets may be headed toward a deadline that sends out some of their expiring pieces, but Luke Weaver is the name that could bring back the kind of return that matters most. New York is expected to sell on Aug. 3 and use that opportunity to restock a farm system that has been thinned out, yet Weaver sits in a different lane from the rest of the rental crowd. He’s under control beyond this season, and that alone makes him one of the most valuable arms on the market.
Weaver has turned into a high-end leverage weapon in Queens. The former Yankee has been pitching with real confidence, posting a 1.93 ERA over 40 appearances while holding opponents to a .162 batting average. Those numbers put him among the best relievers in baseball and make him especially attractive to playoff clubs that need late-inning help and have already seen what he can do in October.
The contract only adds to the appeal. The Mets signed the 32-year-old this past offseason to a two-year, $22 million deal, which means any team that lands him would get him for 2027 at just $11 million. That kind of control raises the price, and it’s why New York can ask for a serious package if it decides to move him.
Seattle is one of the teams that makes sense as a fit. David Schoenfield of ESPN reported that the Mariners are looking for a high-leverage right-handed reliever, especially after Matt Brash was sidelined with a lat strain on June 8. That left Eduard Bazardo as part of the relief mix, and he has a 5.59 ERA in July.
The Mariners have also become familiar deadline buyers. They tend to find themselves chasing help in late July, then flipping the switch and making a run. In 2025, they added Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Caleb Ferguson, and those moves helped push Seattle to an ALCS appearance.
If the Mets and Mariners ever got serious on Weaver, one name worth circling is Emerson Hancock. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reported that Seattle could explore using veteran starter Luis Castillo and Hancock in deadline talks.
Castillo, though, looks like a nonstarter for New York. He’s 33, has gone 3-9 in 20 games, and owns a 5.06 ERA with 86 strikeouts while allowing a .270 average.
Hancock is the more intriguing piece. The 27-year-old wouldn’t reach free agency until 2030, giving the Mets four years of control over a starter who is still climbing. Through 19 starts, the Mariners’ former No. 4 prospect has a 3.16 ERA, a 6-4 record, 97 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP.
His recent form has only strengthened the case. Over his last four starts, Hancock has thrown 20.1 innings with a 1.33 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, 16 strikeouts and seven walks.
The bigger issue is whether that would be enough. Weaver’s value is only going up because so many teams will be in on him, and his extra year of control makes him more than a standard deadline rental. That’s why Seattle might have to include more than Hancock, with No. 12 prospect Korbyn Dickerson emerging as a possible add-on.
Dickerson, 22, has impressed in Single-A and High-A, hitting .279 with an .833 OPS across 83 games. If the Mets could land Hancock and a top-15 prospect like Dickerson for Weaver, that would be the kind of return that makes a deadline look successful before the rest of the deals even come in.
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Rays Rumors Just Put A Mets Rotation Arm In Play
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One name now in the mix is a starter who would instantly change the conversation for a rotation-needy contender, which is exactly the sort of rumor that tends to ripple through the market. Tampa Bay is also being tied to a few other impact targets, a sign the Rays are casting a wide net as they try to find the right fit before the deadline pressure really starts to build. [Read more 🡒]