Mets reliever Luke Weaver addresses 'silly' Yankees bag controversy

According to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, well-known New York Yankees announcer Michael Kay recently used a portion of his radio program to rip New York Mets relief pitcher Luke Weaver after Weaver was spotted carrying a Yankees duffel bag when he reported to the Mets' facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for spring training.

Of course, Weaver pitched for the Yankees for a portion of the 2023 campaign through last season. During an appearance on the latest edition of "The Show" podcast, Weaver spoke with co-hosts Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman about the alleged controversy. 

Why Mets' Luke Weaver was carrying a Yankees bag

"I thought it was a bit silly personally," Weaver said about the alleged "Baggate" scandal, per NJ Advance Media. "I understand why people are, you know, I wouldn’t say an uproar, but why they’re talking about it. Like, I get it. But to your point, it’s very common to bring your old bag to your new team."

While speaking about the issue, Kay insisted that "the Mets deserve better than that" because they paid Weaver "a lot of money." Specifically, Weaver received a two-year, $22M deal from the Mets back in December. He later claimed that the Yankees made no real attempt to bring him back this offseason. 

"I’m glad people care," Weaver said about his bag preferences. "I’m glad they care, you know? Like they wouldn’t be saying nothing if they didn’t care." 

Luke Weaver makes a promise to Mets fans

Weaver is no stranger to facing the Mets while wearing Yankees pinstripes. Thus, he knows plenty about the rivalry shared between those two fan bases and, occasionally, between the clubs. 

During the podcast, Weaver sent a message to Mets supporters who may have had a negative reaction after seeing him with the Yankees bag. 

"I just need people to take a deep breath, know that I love the Mets now," Weaver explained. "I’m a Met. I love where I’m at. I love the teammates so far. I hope to win as many trophies as possible here, and I hope to do that with the fans behind us and rooting for me in doing so. So the bag meant nothing."

In the end, Mets fans won't care about this story if Weaver proves to be a positive for a bullpen that no longer features star closer Edwin Diaz.