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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Few athletes can win or lose trust from their fans at a faster clip than relief pitchers.
New York Yankees reliever Luke Weaver was the toast of the town last year, stealing the closer role from Clay Holmes after mostly pitching as a starter early in his career. This year, though, he struggled mightily down the stretch, and those struggles could hardly have come at a worse time.
Now, after 10 up-and-down seasons in the majors, with one sparkling year on his resume, Weaver is getting set to hit free agency. The Yankees, who have a lot of bullpen issues to sort through, frankly might not be all that interested in bringing him back, considering his 9.64 ERA in September and multiple blow-up outings in the postseason.
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However, the Yankees likely would not want to see sign with the Boston Red Sox -- which is why MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo's shot-in-the-dark prediction about the construction of Boston's bullpen next season might be of some concern to New York supporters.
"The prediction here is that the Red Sox sign two arms — a righty and a lefty — but don’t break the bank for either," Cotillo wrote. "There are many trustworthy options internally (including some projected as starters) who can be counted on, too. Wild guess? (Justin) Wilson and Luke Weaver."
Wilson is another former Yankee, but he spent this season in Boston, and proved to be a useful but unspectacular arm. Weaver, though, could join a long lineage of ex-Yanks that head north to Fenway Park and make it their life's mission to make sure New York never lives down letting them go.
Already, Boston has former Yankees Rob Refsnyder, Carlos Narváez, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, and Greg Weissert under contract. If the Red Sox signed Wilson and Weaver, one would have to wonder if they were just trying to rub it in.
Boston finished with the second-best reliever ERA in baseball this season at 3.41. Much of that was due to Chapman's and Whitlock's brilliance, but the Sox also undoubtedly have figured out some formulas that help them get the most from their relievers over the course of a long season.
If Weaver, who revived his career with the Yankees, turned around and started tormenting them as a member of their arch-rivals, it would remove some of the good vibes Yankee fans are currently feeling about the leg up they currently have on Boston.
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