New York Mets The parts of Sammy Stafura’s game that enticed his beloved Mets were honed in their backyard By Mike Puma Published Aug. 4, 2026, 10:50 p.m. ET Walter Panas senior Sammy Stafura, the Westchester/Putnam Player of the Year, at the high school in Cortlandt on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (Tania Savayan/The Journal News) USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect CLEVELAND — Spring practice or games at Walter Panas High in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., sometimes intersected with the Mets season opener, leaving Sammy Stafura’s attention divided.
“He would get all excited for the Mets and we would be in the dugout with our phones following who is doing what,” Stafura’s high school coach, Anthony Fata, said Monday. “There were more Yankees fans than Mets fans on the team, but Sammy stood tall as a Mets fan and we really had fun with it.”
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That Mets fan now belongs to the organization, following a trade Monday for the shortstop prospect. The Mets sent Luke Weaver to Pittsburgh for the 21-year-old Stafura, who was rated as the No. 9 Pirates prospect. The Mets are sending about $6.5 million to the Pirates to cover part of Weaver’s contract, which runs through next season.
Stafura was the second-highest-rated prospect of the 11 the Mets received in trades over five days leading into Monday’s deadline. The highest-rated of the group is infielder Jefferson Rojas, who was the No. 2 Cubs prospect.
