The Yankees added to their rotation depth Tuesday night. They shouldn’t consider the unit complete, though.
Rather, the club, interested in Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, should remain on the hunt for a frontline starter after acquiring Ryan Weathers in a trade with the Marlins. The Yankees still have a need for such an addition, as well as the ammo necessary to pull off such a move after sending prospects Dillon Lewis, Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus to Miami.
Weathers comes with plenty of upside, as he recorded a 3.54 ERA over 24 starts the last two seasons, possesses big velocity, and saw a notable uptick in his stuff last year. Only 26 and under team control for another three seasons, Weathers is well-positioned to take more strides with the help of the Yankees’ well-regarded pitching department.
At the very least, Weathers has bullpen experience and can provide swingman depth alongside fellow lefty Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, though he has the potential to do more if he can stay healthy.
Weathers’ former manager, Miami’s Clayton McCullough, made that clear during the Winter Meetings last month when he forecasted a “breakout” season for the pitcher.
“He just had an interrupted season with some injuries the last couple of years,” the skipper said. “But this guy is top-shelf stuff from the left side. He’s incredibly motivated. Highly competitive. Excited for Ryan this year. And I’m predicting Ryan to have a big year.”
As McCullough mentioned, Weathers has a long injury history. Flexor and lat strains kept him to just eight starts in 2025, and he’s battled a few other aches over the years.
Those injuries have limited him to just 186.1 innings since 2022 after he tallied 94.2 as a 21-year-old rookie in 2021.
Weathers’ injury history should be considered alongside the fact that Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt will all start the season on the injured list. While the Yankees hope to have the first two back in the early part of the 2026 season, the latter two are coming off Tommy John surgery and are subject to rust.
Meanwhile, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren are coming off career-high workloads, and Luis Gil is an injury risk himself.
With Fried, Schlittler, Warren, Gil and Weathers currently making up the projected Opening Day rotation, the Yankees are one spring training injury away from having to insert Yarbrough, Blackburn or top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez.
Even if such an injury doesn’t occur — Brian Cashman has acknowledged that rotations rarely escape the spring unscathed — the Yankees can improve upon the spots occupied by the still-developing Warren, Gil and even Weathers.
“I think everybody would want a No. 1 starter if you can get a No. 1 starter to add to what you already have,” Cashman said last month. “It’s just harder to do.”
Adding a workhorse, high-level starter to the incumbent group would significantly reduce risk and raise the Yankees’ ceiling. Peralta fits that description perfectly, and while the price for starting pitching is exceptionally high right now, the Bombers have a handful of chips to trade with the Brewers looking for young, controllable pitching. Warren, Gil and Rodríguez, as well as other highly-touted prospects Carlos Lagrange and Ben Hess, can help the Yankees line up with Milwaukee.
The Yankees could also dangle some enticing, young outfielders if Cody Bellinger returns, as that signing would make Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones expendable.
MARLINS GET THEIR MAN
Speaking of young outfielders, the Marlins have had their eyes on Lewis, as he came up in previous trade talks with the Yankees for Edward Cabrera. While those talks didn’t go too far – the Cubs landed Cabrera — Lewis ended up as the centerpiece of the return for Weathers.
A 13th-round pick in 2024, Lewis turned some heads this past season, slashing .237/.321/.445 with 22 home runs and 26 stolen bases between Single-A and High-A. The 22-year-old is a strong defender as well; he’s played all three outfield positions.
THE MIAMI CONNECTION
The Marlins have discussed or completed several trades with the Yankees over the last few seasons. That’s not surprising, as a few ex-Yankees staffers now work for Miami. That includes Rachel Balkovec, the Marlins’ director of player development, and Joe Migliaccio, the club’s director of hitting.
Both previously held various minor league and player development positions in the Yankees’ organization, so they have some added insight when it comes to the team’s farm system and prospects.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Weathers and his dad, David, will become the fifth father-son duo to play for the Yankees, as they join Bellinger and his pop, Clay; Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr.; Ron and Ike Davis; and Yogi and Dale Berra.
The elder Weathers pitched for the Yankees in 1996 and 1997. He allowed one run over 11 innings during the 1996 playoffs.
Coincidentally, the Yankees also acquired Weathers’ dad in a trade with the Marlins.
