At this rate, the first Subway Series of 2026 is going to double as a family reunion. With Luke Weaver becoming the latest to sign with the Mets this week—joining Devin Williams from this offseason, and Juan Soto and Clay Holmes from last winter—the mini-exodus of former Yankees to Queens continues.
“Not quite The Bronx,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said with a grin on Friday, delivering a playful jab while handing out food and toys at NYPD’s 44th Precinct in The Bronx.
While Soto represented a case of the Yankees losing out to the Mets for a player they seriously pursued, the Yankees never ended up making an offer to either Weaver or Williams. Weaver landed a two-year, $22 million deal a few weeks after Williams signed for three years and $51 million. The two former Yankees closers now make up the back end of the Mets’ bullpen.
Boone said he texted Weaver on Thursday. The former waiver claim turned important high-leverage reliever over two-plus seasons with the Yankees.
“Happy for him that he got a really good deal that he’s earned,” Boone said. “He threw a lot of really big, productive games for us over the last couple years. When we got him, it seemed like not a big move at the time, in ’23, late in that season.
“To turn into the reliever and the role he ended up having for us the next two seasons, credit to him for going out there and making a little alter to his career and it paying dividends for him.”
Looking ahead, the Yankees will have multiple players missing this spring to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), with closer David Bednar the latest to commit to Team USA this week.
“It’s good for our sport,” Boone said. “It’s good for our players, as long as they stay healthy. So maybe you hold your breath a little bit, but you also understand that it’s here and it’s an option for players. We just try to get them in the best position to be healthy and safe coming out of it. And then just enjoy watching them go compete at a high level.”
Friday marked the fourth straight year that the Yankees partnered with the NYPD’s 44th Precinct and the Food Bank for New York City to provide holiday groceries and toys to Bronx families.
“To be able to give back a little bit to this community, especially at a time of the year where food sensitivity’s real for people, to be able to hopefully make a little bit of a small difference in this community is very important to me,” said Boone, who brought two of his sons with him to help out.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/19/sports/aaron-boone-takes-playoff-jab-at-mets-to-yankees-exodus/