Luke Weaver emerged on the scene for the New York Yankees in the 2024 season, and he will be a big part of the bullpen in 2025. A big part of the Yankees' success in 2024 was Juan Soto, who bolted for the New York Mets in free agency this offseason, and Weaver spoke on what it will be like to face Soto this coming season as he reported for Spring Training in Tampa Bay.

“You happy about asking this first? You beat everybody to the punch on this one, didn't you?” Luke Weaver said, playfully, via SNY Yankees Videos. “No, it's gonna be fun. I've always enjoyed the battles that I've had in the past, I certainly liked when he was on my team and watching him battle for us. But it'll be the same. It'll be the challenge that you want.”

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The Yankees will face Soto and the Mets for the first time in the Bronx from May 16-18. Soto's return to Yankee Stadium will undoubtedly garner a lot of attention, more than the usual Subway Series. The two teams will play at City Field from July 4-6. Both teams have World Series aspirations in 2025 as well, and Weaver said facing Soto will be similar to facing players the Los Angeles Dodgers featured in their lineup in the 2024 World Series.

“It's like facing these guys in the playoffs. You had the Ohtanis and the Freemans and the Betts, it's like, you don't get a lineup very often where you get three MVPs in a row,” Weaver said. “But I think the way you look at it is, ‘Do I match up against these guys? Am I going to get them out?' And they're gonna probably have the longer glory when it's all said and done, you know, probably gonna get their statues and do that, and that's an awesome thing. But you know, when I'm sitting there at the campfire with my kids in 20 years, I can tell them like, ‘hey, I felt pretty good about the battles I had with them,' and there's a small little win that you get out of there, and you're just only hoping for a, ‘well, attaboy dad. I'm proud of you,' and then we just kind of move onto something else.”

The Yankees pivoted to Max Fried after Soto signed with the Mets, and they also added Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams to bolster the roster. It will be interesting to see how Weaver fares if he faces Soto in the Subway Series this season.