The New York Yankees are off to a roaring start in the 2026 MLB season, and all eyes have turned to their newest addition on the mound: left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers. Acquired in a January trade with the Miami Marlins, Weathers brings both a promising arm and a storied family legacy to the Bronx—a combination that has fans and analysts buzzing as he makes his highly anticipated debut start against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Weathers, just 26 years old, steps into the Yankees’ spotlight carrying not only his own potential but also the weight of his last name. He is the nephew of David Weathers, a member of the Yankees’ 1996 World Series championship squad. That family tie adds a dash of nostalgia and intrigue to the Yankees’ latest push for another Fall Classic appearance. As General Manager Brian Cashman put it, “We’re excited to add Ryan to our pitching staff. His talent and potential, combined with his family connection to the Yankees, make him a great fit for our team as we look to get back to the World Series.”
The Yankees’ pitching rotation has been nothing short of dominant in the season’s infancy. Through their first three games—a sweep of the San Francisco Giants—the starters allowed just one earned run over 16 innings, setting a high bar for the arms that follow. The Tigers, led by Tarik Skubal, are the only other rotation even close, having allowed three earned runs. Now, as Weathers takes the ball in Seattle, he faces the challenge of keeping that momentum alive against a Mariners team that was a single game away from the World Series last year.
Weathers’ journey to this moment has been marked by both struggles and flashes of brilliance. After being traded to the Marlins from the San Diego Padres in 2023, he began working on a changeup that would eventually become his signature pitch. The development of this pitch, a splitter-like changeup, was a turning point in his career. Weathers explained in detail how he refined the grip and movement: “When I got traded to the Marlins, I didn’t really have a good changeup. Scott Aldred, who was the pitching coordinator at the time, showed me a grip. I kept playing with it, but it didn’t have the downward vertical break that I wanted, nor the separation from my fastball. But then, during the offseason going into the 2024 season, I had one bullpen on Trackman where—same grip—it just started bottoming out. I was like, ‘That looks like a splitter.’ Ever since that bullpen, my changeup has been around one vertical, one horizontal, more like a split-changeup than a traditional changeup. If I click one, it will go down into the negative. It kind of has a mind of its own.”
The specifics of the grip are unique, with Weathers using a two-seam orientation and keeping his fingers across the tracks of the baseball. “It’s a little bit like a cut changeup. I’ve listened to Tarik Skubal’s thoughts on his, because I kind of had the same issues. I’m a natural supinator, so I had issues with getting my hand open to get to a changeup,” Weathers told FanGraphs’ David Laurila. He aims for a velocity in the 86-88 mph range, ideally 8-10 mph slower than his fastball, which helps him achieve the sharp downward movement that makes the pitch so effective when executed properly.
Despite the promise of his arsenal, Weathers’ spring training statistics painted a picture of inconsistency. Over 17.1 innings, he struck out 21 batters but allowed 17 earned runs, resulting in an ERA north of 8. However, his final Grapefruit League start offered hope: he went five innings against the Cubs, surrendering just one run. That performance, combined with his raw stuff, convinced the Yankees to slot him into the starting rotation over Luis Gil and breakout camp star Carlos Lagrange. Tonight’s outing against the Mariners is widely seen as a referendum on that decision.
Weathers himself has noticed differences in the approach between the Yankees and his previous club, the Marlins. The Yankees have adjusted his between-starts routine, emphasizing efficiency and health. “It was weird at first, because I love to throw,” Weathers shared with Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “But now it’s kind of like second nature. We got some internal numbers that have really helped me get in the right direction with my throwing patterns. Everything feels good right now, so got to keep rolling with it.” In his most recent bullpen, he limited himself to 41 pitches from flat ground and 25 from the mound, a stark contrast to the 100-plus pitches he would routinely throw with Miami. The hope is that this lighter workload will keep him healthy and maximize his effectiveness throughout the long season.
As the Yankees prepared for their matchup in Seattle, the Mariners countered with their own ace, Luis Castillo, a three-time All-Star known for his durability and ability to keep hitters off balance. Castillo has historically matched up well against the Yankees, adding another layer of intrigue to the pitching duel. The Yankees’ lineup featured a stacked left-handed contingent, including Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells, all set to challenge Castillo’s arsenal. For the Mariners, star catcher Cal Raleigh was given the night off after a tough opening series, replaced by Mitch Garver behind the plate and Rob Refsnyder at designated hitter.
Early returns on Weathers’ debut were promising. In his very first inning as a Yankee, he notched two strikeouts—an encouraging sign that his electric stuff can translate to success in the Bronx. Of course, there was also a walk, a reminder that control and consistency remain works in progress for the young lefty. But if Weathers can harness his unique changeup and maintain the adjustments to his routine, the Yankees may have found a sleeper gem for their rotation.
Weathers’ arrival is more than just a baseball transaction—it’s a convergence of talent, heritage, and hope for a franchise eager to return to championship glory. As the Yankees chase their first World Series appearance since 2021, every start, every pitch, and every new face matters. For now, the spotlight shines brightly on Ryan Weathers, the latest southpaw to don the pinstripes, and the early results suggest he’s ready for the challenge. The season is young, and tonight in Seattle, a new chapter begins for both Weathers and the Yankees faithful.