The Cardinals are offering Weaver a two-year contract at an average salary believed to be far below the $8.325 million he earned last season, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Pirates presumably could pay Weaver in that range...
The Cardinals are far more likely to contend than the Pirates next season, but last week's trade for first baseman Adam LaRoche increased the Pirates' appeal...
Weaver averaged 14 wins and 222 innings under Tracy and Colborn in 2004-05. He then flopped with the Angels after signing a one-year, free-agent contract, only to revive after getting traded to the Cardinals last July...
His turnaround was credited, in part, to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, but Weaver's comfort zone with Tracy and Colborn would be similar.
This sounds like it's approximately equal parts fact and speculation at this point. For whatever it's worth, I'd much rather have Weaver than any of the other free-agent options available. He was bad last year, but decent for two years before that, and unlike Tony Armas, he doesn't have huge injury issues.