Yankees Acquire Pitcher Ryan Weathers – But Is He Being Overpaid?

Pitcher Ryan Weathers (Image: MLB)

A team once known for big-time spending makes its first addition of the offseason, and it’s not exactly the type of move you’d expect.

The New York Yankees acquired pitcher Ryan Weathers in a trade with the Marlins. The Yankees gave up four prospects, Brendan Jones, Dillon Lewis, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus. Three of these prospects were ranked among the Yankees’ top 30.

If you look at Weathers’ numbers alone, this may seem like an overpay. Weathers had a 3.99 ERA in 2025 and has a 4.93 ERA in his career.

Control has always been an issue for Weathers. His FIP has never been below four. In 2025, it was 4.60.

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Last offseason, the Yankees also traded for another pitcher with control issues named Fernando Cruz. Cruz was able to iron them out thanks to pitching coach Matt Blake. However, his stuff was significantly better than Weathers’.

The Yankees are in pretty desperate need of some pitching depth. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt are all projected to start the season on the injured list. That leaves the Yankees with a rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and a whole lot of question marks.

The Yankees brought back a couple of pitching depth pieces to compete for the final spot. The first was Ryan Yarbrough. Yarbrough made eight starts in 2025 and had a 3.83 ERA in those starts. He got hurt in June and struggled upon returning to the team in September. The second is Paul Blackburn, who joined the Yankees late in the season and had a 5.28 ERA with the team.

The Yankees could make a play for a top starting pitcher like Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen. If not, these depth guys will prove vital for the Yankees’ season.