The Pirates acquired Luke Weaver from the Mets at the trade deadline presumably to take the ninth-inning gig from the closer-by-committee grouping of Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery.
It was supposed to be a big boost to Weaver’s fantasy baseball value. (Key words: Supposed to be.) It has not been, as he entered Friday without even a save opportunity in his first four appearances.
Since Weaver’s arrival in Pittsburgh, Montgomery is the only pitcher who has recorded a save — and he has looked good doing it. The lefty is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, three saves, a 65 percent strikeout rate, .150 opponents’ average and an insane 25.3 percent swinging-strike rate in his first six outings this month.
Montgomery, who owns a 3.40 ERA (2.52 xERA) and 39 percent strikeout rate for the season, may not be racking up saves but that doesn’t make his production any less valuable — especially when he has been one of the most dominant relievers over the past two-plus months.
