Former Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners' Pitcher Claimed by AL East Club

The New York Yankees have claimed pitcher Luke Weaver after he was designated by the Seattle Mariners this week. Weaver also pitched for the Cincinnati Reds this season.

The New York Yankees, perhaps searching for potential answers to pitching problems in 2024, have claimed Luke Weaver after he had been designated for assignment earlier this week by the Seattle Mariners.

Per Greg Joyce of the New York Post:

Yankees claimed RHP Luke Weaver off waivers from the Mariners. Nestor Cortes transferred to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Yankees claimed RHP Luke Weaver off waivers from the Mariners. Nestor Cortes transferred to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) September 12, 2023

The 30-year-old is a former first-round pick in the 2014 draft and has spent parts of eight years in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Royals, Reds and Mariners. He's appeared most for Arizona, with whom he spent parts of four seasons. 

For his career, he's 26-41 with a 5.18 ERA. This year, specifically, he's 2-5 with a 6.77 ERA between Cincinnati and Seattle. He started 21 games for the Reds this year and one for Seattle in addition to four relief appearances. It's unclear where the Yankees see his value, but it certainly seems worth taking a flier on a former first-round pick.

If the Yankees can extract something from him, perhaps he can be an answer next season. The team has Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon locked up but Luis Severino is hitting free agency, as is Frankie Montas, who has been out all season. The team also will have Cortes, who will have been coming back from a season-ending injury himself.

The Yankees are playing a doubleheader with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon. The first game started at 1:10 p.m. ET with the second game due at 7:10.

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