In a recent podcast appearance on the New York Post Sports Show, Yankees‘ reliever Luke Weaver discussed the possibility of becoming a starter again this offseason.
Weaver, who was drafted by the Cardinals as a starter and pitched in that role through 2023, was converted into a reliever with the Yankees in 2024.
The right-hander has done well in that role, but as he is slated to hit the market this upcoming winter, he stated that he would be open to the idea of returning to the rotation.
It’s unclear if the Yankees would have interest in bringing him back to serve as a starter, but as with Clay Holmes last winter, the possibility of Weaver starting could draw other teams into the bidding.
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Luke Weaver’s Interest In Starting Could Complicate Yankees’ Offseason Plans
A tough post-IL stint for Luke Weaver has caused 2025 to be a step back from his dominant 2025 campaign, but Clay Holmes also experienced his worst season with the Yankees before moving to the rotation with the Mets.
Relying on a sinker, sweeper, and slider, Holmes had command issues and lacked the deep mix needed in 2024 to start, but the Mets were able to unlock more pitches over the offseason.
Luke Weaver’s background as a starter came with a deep mix as well, featuring multiple pitches beyond his fastball, changeup, and cutter to keep hitters off-balance.
In fact, Weaver had a 2.94 ERA and 3.07 FIP in 12 starts back in 2019 with the Diamondbacks, as he looked like a piece of their rotation for the future before injuries and inconsistency foiled those plans.
With the idea of becoming a starter again on the table, it raises questions about whether Luke Weaver will return to the Yankees in 2026 or not.
While his ERA is worse, Devin Williams has out-pitched Luke Weaver in almost every underlying metric, and his track record as an elite closer might make him a more desirable candidate to retain.
Both Weaver and Williams are eligible for the Qualifying Offer, but the Yankees would almost certainly not offer that to Weaver while they could contimplate it for Williams.
There’s also no certainty that Devin Williams, who has not been well-received by fans, would want to remain a Yankee when he’ll have plenty of suitors as well.
Luke Weaver would almost certainly get some interesting offers if teams viewed him as a starter, since starters make more money and carry more value to a team than bullpen arms do.
It’ll create some interesting scenarios for the Yankees this winter with how they handle their bullpen, scenarios they hope to not think about until November.
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