The New York Mets are taking on a significant portion of Luke Weaver’s remaining contract as part of the trade that sent the veteran right-hander to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets agreed to pay the Pirates more than $8.1 million in connection with the deal, which saw New York receive minor league infielder Sammy Stafura in exchange for Weaver. The financial details of the transaction reveal just how much of Weaver’s contract the Mets were willing to absorb to complete the move.
At the time of the trade, Weaver had nearly $13.4 million remaining on his two-year, $22 million contract. Rather than leaving Pittsburgh responsible for most of that commitment, New York agreed to cover a substantial portion of the money still owed to the pitcher.
The arrangement means Pittsburgh will effectively pay Weaver only about $229,412 for the 2026 season, representing a prorated portion of the league’s $780,000 minimum salary.
Weaver had approximately $2.35 million remaining from his $8 million salary for the 2026 season when the trade was finalized Monday. According to the financial details of the deal, the Mets will send the Pirates four separate payments of $530,882. Those payments are scheduled for August 24, August 28, September 11 and September 25.
That portion of the agreement accounts for more than $2.1 million that otherwise could have remained Pittsburgh’s responsibility.
The Mets’ financial commitment does not end with the current season, either.
New York has also agreed to send Pittsburgh $6 million in 2027, covering a large part of Weaver’s $11 million salary for that season. The payments are scheduled to arrive in $500,000 installments throughout the year, beginning in April and continuing into September.
When all of the scheduled payments are combined, the Mets will provide the Pirates with exactly $8,123,529 as part of the trade.
That figure represents a substantial amount of money for New York to absorb in a transaction that brought back a minor league player. However, the deal also gives the Mets an opportunity to move Weaver’s contract off their books while opening a spot on their roster and potentially creating greater flexibility for the organization moving forward.
Weaver’s contract was originally worth $22 million over two seasons. With $13,352,941 remaining when he was traded, the Mets had to determine whether keeping the pitcher or moving the financial commitment elsewhere was the better option.
The organization ultimately chose to part ways with Weaver, even though doing so meant paying most of the money left on his deal.
For Pittsburgh, the trade represents a much smaller financial commitment. The Pirates will effectively pay Weaver close to the minimum for the remainder of the 2026 season and will have New York covering most of the pitcher’s 2027 salary.
That arrangement could make the acquisition more appealing from Pittsburgh’s perspective. The Pirates gain a veteran pitcher without taking on the bulk of his remaining contract, while the Mets gain financial and roster flexibility.
The Weaver transaction was also part of a larger series of trades around Major League Baseball that involved teams shifting salary obligations as they reshaped their rosters.
One of the other notable financial arrangements involved the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays, with Chicago agreeing to send nearly $5 million to Toronto as part of the trade that moved right-hander Jameson Taillon to the Blue Jays.
Taillon had approximately $5.39 million remaining on his $18 million salary for the final year of his contract. Chicago agreed to pay Toronto $4,956,791, meaning the Blue Jays will effectively be responsible for only about $433,583 of the remaining salary.
The Cubs will make four payments to Toronto, with the money scheduled to be distributed between August and September.
Another trade involving significant salary movement featured the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. San Francisco agreed to pay San Diego $4,176,471 in connection with the deal involving left-hander Robbie Ray.
The Padres were left responsible for roughly $3.18 million of Ray’s remaining $7.35 million salary. Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner, is in the final season of a five-year, $115 million contract.
Toronto was also involved in another financial arrangement, agreeing to pay Minnesota $3.75 million to offset part of reliever Jeff Hoffman’s $11 million salary for 2027. The Blue Jays had previously transferred a portion of Hoffman’s contract to the Twins in a trade.
The Blue Jays additionally agreed to pay Houston more than $1.6 million as part of the transaction that sent right-hander Spencer Arrighetti to Toronto.
Meanwhile, another New York team was involved in a salary-sharing deal. The Yankees received former All-Star reliever Camilo Doval from Pittsburgh, with New York agreeing to pay the Pirates more than $1.1 million as part of the transaction.
The Mets’ decision to cover so much of Weaver’s remaining contract stands out because it demonstrates how teams can use money as a major component of trade negotiations.
For New York, the priority appears to be moving forward without Weaver’s contract occupying a place on the roster and payroll. Although the Mets are still financially responsible for much of the deal, the transaction allows them to separate the pitcher from the organization and potentially make room for other roster moves.
The return of Sammy Stafura also gives the Mets another young player to develop within their system. While Stafura is not an immediate replacement for Weaver at the major league level, the organization can view the infielder as a longer-term asset.
The Mets’ willingness to absorb more than $8 million could therefore be viewed as the cost of making the trade happen. Instead of allowing Weaver’s contract to become an obstacle, New York effectively used money to facilitate his departure.
The financial details also highlight the complicated nature of MLB trades, particularly when players have substantial salaries remaining. A team does not always have to send a player away while transferring the entire contract to his new club. Salary obligations can be divided between teams, allowing organizations to make trades that otherwise might not be possible.
For the Mets, the Weaver trade ultimately comes down to a balance between immediate financial cost and future flexibility. New York will continue paying millions of dollars connected to the pitcher even though he will no longer be wearing a Mets uniform.
Still, the organization clearly determined that the benefits of moving on outweighed the cost.
With more than $8.1 million headed to Pittsburgh, the Mets have made a significant financial commitment to complete the Weaver trade. The move now gives New York a chance to turn the page while adding Stafura to its minor league system.
As the Mets continue reshaping their roster, the Weaver transaction could prove to be another important piece of their broader strategy. The organization has shown that it is willing to spend money to create flexibility, even when that means paying a large portion of a player’s remaining contract after he has been traded away.
