Pittsburgh Pirates Are in a Tough Spot With Luke Weaver

The Pittsburgh Pirates' biggest need heading into the trade deadline was clear: they needed more proven relievers in the back of the bullpen.  To the front office's credit, they addressed that need with what, at the time, appeared to be a good trade for the Pirates as they acquired veteran pitcher Luke Weaver on deadline day. Now, the Pirates are in a tough spot with their newest pitcher, and it has nothing to do with Weaver himself. Weaver is having a fantastic season with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP, along with a save. The 32-year-old also has experience as a primary closer, which made him an interesting trade target to begin with.  Ideally, Pittsburgh likely viewed Weaver as their new ninth-inning arm or as their go-to pitcher for high-leverage situations late in games. The problem is that the Pirates haven't had a lead late in games over the last few weeks, so they haven't needed to use Weaver. Pittsburgh is just 4-8 and has slipped further out of the National League playoff race since August started. In fact, since acquiring the pitcher on August 3, Weaver has only pitched in one game. The right-hander pitched one inning against his former team, the New York Mets, on August 7, in a 6-4 loss for Pittsburgh. Aug 7, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luke Weaver (18) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Given how the team has played, the Pirates are stuck between wanting Weaver available in late-game scenarios and making sure he gets the necessary work in, too. The Pirates won't try to force Weaver into a different role and still view him as a high-leverage arm, but manager Don Kelly admitted the team is trying to find the right balance for Weaver's usage and role. "That's what we're balancing and trying to get to a point it is a situation that you would want to use him, or it's a situation that we have to [have him pitch] just to keep him sharp and ready to go because that is always the concern that you if you use a guy in a in a situation that isn't ideal," Kelly said. Pittsburgh skipper went on to say that not having a pitcher through three or four straight games is where everything starts to get "iffy."  If Kelly had control of everything and could choose exactly when Weaver takes the mound and what situation he's pitching in, it'd be "ideally would love to get the lead and deploy him with with the lead in the eighth or ninth inning." As the manager is finding out, though, it's not as simple as that.