Yankees exercise 2025 option on RHP Luke Weaver
As many expected, the Yankees have exercised their club option for 2025 on RHP Luke Weaver, which will pay Weaver $2.5 million next season.
The team made the announcement Friday evening, well ahead of Monday’s deadline for teams and players to decide on options.
Weaver signed a one-year deal with an option last season, securing a $2 million base salary with incentives based on games started or relief appearances, and he ended up earning $250,000 for reaching 60 relief appearances – five increments of a $50K bonus.
He could’ve escalated the cost of the 2025 option based on innings pitched, but did not reach the 100 inning minimum for the first bump.
Weaver, who turned 31 in August, was arguably the Yankees’ best reliever last season, going 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 84 innings over 62 games, and taking over the closer’s role late in the season. He earned four saves in that role, and carried over into the postseason with a 1.76 ERA and four saves in 15 1/3 innings over 12 games.
Whether he remains the closer or not, Weaver will be a big part of a Yankees bullpen that could look a lot different in 2025. Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle, their other top leverage relievers, are free agents, as is the injured Jonathan Loaisiga and breakout lefty Tim Hill.
Among those who pitched in the Mahors this year, the Yankees have team control over Tim Mayza, Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins, Scott Effross, and Mark Leiter Jr. – all of whom are either arbitration or pre-arb players and made less than $1 million in 2024 – and hold a $5 million option on the injured Lou Trivino.
