What's next for the Yankees? Why Ryan Weathers trade is a worthy gamble and where they could turn now
A slow winter has seen the Yankees add few external pieces, but they don't appear to be done yet
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4 min read
The New York Yankees made their most notable external addition of the offseason to date on Tuesday night, acquiring left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers as part of a five-player swap with the Miami Marlins. The Yankees sent four prospects to Miami as part of the agreement: outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.
Weathers, 26, joins New York having compiled a 4.93 ERA (85 ERA+) and a 2.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 70 big-league appearances. He was limited to just 38 innings last year around multiple stints on the injured list to deal with flexor and lat strains in his throwing arm.
Just why did the Yankees want Weathers, and what other additions could be in store for their pitching staff and lineup? Let's break it down.
1. Why the Yankees valued Weathers
Put simply: Weathers is a more talented and interesting pitcher than his statistics indicate.
Weathers has gained oomph over the several years, with his four-seam fastball clocking in around 97 mph in 2025. Had he qualified, he would've ranked second in fastball velocity among left-handed pitchers with 10 or more starts last season, behind only American League Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal. Don't mistake Weathers as a gimmick pitcher who relies only on his arm strength, however. He has a few promising secondary offerings, including a changeup and a sweeper that over the last two seasons have each generated a whiff rate above 40%.
If all Weathers had working in his favor was that three-pitch mix, he would be worth the transaction cost. But there's even more to dream on. He possesses quality control and he's shown some feel for a sinker and a cutter-like slider that would further flesh out his arsenal. You can envision him having success either as a starting pitcher or a reliever, and he's under team control through the 2028 season.
Why hasn't Weathers had more success? It's a fair question, one that can be answered in part by pointing to his availability. Health is the unseen mover in baseball and it's mostly bullied Weathers since he arrived in the majors in 2020. He's not yet thrown 300 total innings, which has prevented his recent run of good pitching (he has a 116 ERA+ over his most recent 125 frames) from outweighing some of the poor showings he had earlier in his career, before he progressed to the pitcher he is now.
Should Weathers find a way to stay healthier heading forward -- and there's no guarantees -- he should be able to outpitch his past and whatever expectations have been formed from it.
2. Where things stand with the rotation
With Weathers in tow, the Yankees could now trot out an Opening Day rotation that includes Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and former Rookie of the Year Award winner Luis Gil.
There's some real upside to that group, but there's also significant downside -- particularly as it relates to health and track record. Gil and Weathers threw fewer than 60 innings apiece in 2025 and Schlittler will be entering his first full season as a big-league pitcher. Even Fried, the closest thing that unit has to a workhorse, is coming off a 195-inning campaign that doubled as a career-high workload.
The good news for the Yankees is that Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and Carlos Rodón (bone spur removal) are expected to rejoin the team throughout the first half as they recover from elbow operations. But even so, it's clear that New York could use another reliable starter.
It should come as no surprise then that the Yankees continue to engage with teams about potential trade candidates. Their targets reportedly include Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta and Washington Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore. Peralta would provide the Yankees with a surer thing, albeit for only one guaranteed season. Gore, meanwhile, would represent an upside swing with an additional season of team control remaining.
Whether it's Peralta, Gore, or someone else not yet connected to the Yankees publicly, it seems unlikely that New York enters camp without adding another starter to the mix.
3. Lineup tweaks likely too
The Yankees also need to reinforce their lineup, with free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger appearing to be the club's top priority on that front. The latest rumors suggest the Yankees continue to negotiate with Bellinger, who had a strong season for the club after being acquired in a trade from the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger's side, though, desires a longer term than the Yankees have thus far been willing to offer.
If the Bellinger talks were to fall through, the Yankees could still pivot to one of the other top free agents available on the market -- be it outfielder Kyle Tucker or infielder Bo Bichette. Bichette, for his part, has signaled a willingness to move off shortstop to help facilitate a potential deal.
Don't overlook the possibility that the Yankees could alter their lineup through subtraction, either. To complete their pursuit of another starting pitcher, they may have to part with someone like outfielder Jasson Domínguez.
With roughly a month to go until pitchers and catchers report, the Yankees offseason looks like it's finally getting started.
