The New York Yankees, never shy when it comes to making a splash in the trade market, have once again turned heads across Major League Baseball. On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the Yankees announced the acquisition of left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins, sending a quartet of promising prospects—outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus—to Miami in return. The move, while not entirely unexpected given the Yankees’ penchant for bolstering their rotation, signals both a short-term insurance policy and a long-term project for the club’s vaunted pitching development staff.
Weathers, just 26 years old, arrives in the Bronx with a pedigree and a story that’s already intertwined with Yankees history. He’s the son of David Weathers, who pitched for the Yankees from 1996 to 1997 and played a key role in the team’s 1996 World Series run. With this trade, the Weathers become the fifth father-son duo to don the pinstripes, joining the likes of Yogi and Dale Berra, as well as Clay and Cody Bellinger—a neat bit of baseball symmetry that’s sure to charm fans and historians alike.
The Yankees’ need for pitching depth is no secret. Their rotation, on paper, looked formidable heading into 2026—especially if ace Gerrit Cole and lefty Carlos Rodón return to full strength by midyear. But with Cole recovering from Tommy John surgery and Rodón working his way back from offseason elbow surgery, the team’s Opening Day staff was looking a bit thin. In fact, both Cole and Rodón are expected to begin the season on the injured list, with Cole’s return projected for May or June and Rodón eyeing a late April or May comeback.
Enter Ryan Weathers. The southpaw is coming off his second consecutive injury-shortened campaign, making just eight starts in 2025 due to a strained left flexor and a left lat strain. Despite these setbacks, he posted a respectable 3.99 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 1/3 innings. In 2024, he managed 16 starts with a 5-6 record and a 3.63 ERA, missing time that season with a strained left index finger. Durability has been a question mark—he’s never made more than 18 starts in a season, a mark he set as a rookie with the Padres—but when healthy, his stuff has shown flashes of real promise.
Originally the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by San Diego, Weathers spent most of 2019 in the minors and didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the pandemic. He made the Padres’ Opening Day roster in 2021 at just 21 years old, showcasing a repertoire that has continued to evolve. After being traded to the Marlins at the 2023 deadline, Weathers improved his command and added a sweeper pitch—one that’s quickly become above average in the eyes of scouts. His changeup has also drawn praise, and he’s recently been throwing harder than ever, averaging 96.9 mph on his four-seam fastball and 83.8 mph on the sweeper in 2025. However, some analysts note that his delivery lacks deception and hitters often pick up his fastball, which, combined with occasional arm slot inconsistencies, has contributed to his being somewhat homer-prone at the big-league level.
Yankees brass see Weathers as more than just an innings-eater; he’s a project for their player development group, which has had notable success in recent years enhancing pitchers’ arsenals and maximizing potential. If Weathers can stay healthy and continue to refine his approach, he could settle in as a solid fourth starter with upside—an enticing prospect for a team looking to contend deep into October.
Weathers’ contract situation also offers the Yankees some flexibility. He recently agreed to a one-year, $1.35 million deal, his first year of arbitration eligibility, and he’ll remain under club control through the 2028 season. Should things break right, the Yankees could have a cost-controlled left-hander in their rotation for several more years—a valuable commodity in today’s game.
The projected Opening Day rotation now features Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Luis Gil, with Weathers slotting in behind Fried. Additional depth comes in the form of Ryan Yarbrough, who was re-signed this offseason, and Paul Blackburn, whose return is reportedly pending. All eyes will be on Fried, Schlittler, and Warren, each of whom set career highs in innings pitched last season—a testament to their durability, but also a reminder of the need for reinforcements as the grind of a 162-game season looms.
The Marlins, for their part, continue to reshape their roster with an eye toward the future. The centerpiece of their return is Dillon Lewis, a 22-year-old outfielder who was a 13th-round pick in the 2024 draft. Lewis is known for his raw power—he slugged 22 home runs and stole 26 bases across two Class A levels in 2025, posting a .237/.321/.445 line. Scouts rave about his hard contact rates, including a peak exit velocity of 113.9 mph and a hard-hit rate north of 54%. However, his strikeout rates remain a concern, and questions linger about whether he can consistently tap into his power as he climbs the minor league ladder. Still, his plus speed and above-average defense in center field buy him time to develop.
Brendan Jones, 23, offers plus speed and average defense in center but has yet to produce significant damage at the plate, hitting .245/.359/.395 between High-A and Double-A last season. Dylan Jasso, also 23, spent 2025 in Double-A, batting .257 with 13 home runs and 76 RBIs. He’s praised for his pitch selection but has swing mechanics that may limit his power potential; he’s played mostly third base but could see time at first or second. Juan Matheus, a 21-year-old Venezuelan switch-hitter, is an above-average defender at third base and profiles as a utility infielder due to limited power. He hit .271/.360/.369 in Low-A before a late-season promotion to High-A, where he continued to show solid on-base skills.
For the Marlins, this trade is less about acquiring a single can’t-miss prospect and more about amassing a group of young players whose data-driven profiles fit the organization’s player development model. As one observer put it, "This is a quantity-over-quality return for the Marlins, who are clearly focused on players with the 'right' sort of data for their player development model." The hope is that at least one of these players breaks out and becomes an everyday contributor at the big-league level.
This deal comes on the heels of Miami trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs, signaling a clear shift in the Marlins’ approach as they look to build a more dynamic, position-player-driven core. For the Yankees, meanwhile, the move underscores the club’s relentless pursuit of pitching depth and its willingness to gamble on upside arms—especially when the stakes are as high as they are in the Bronx.
As the 2026 season approaches, all eyes will be on Ryan Weathers and the Yankees’ revamped rotation. Will Weathers stay healthy and finally deliver on his first-round promise? Can the Yankees’ development staff unlock another level in his game? The answers are still to come, but for now, the Yankees have once again put themselves in the spotlight—right where they like to be.
