When the Yankees quietly picked up Ryan Weathers from the Marlins earlier this offseason, the move barely registered on the radar for most fans. No blockbuster headlines, no splashy pressers-just a 24-year-old lefty with a checkered injury history and an ERA that’s been more bloated than effective.
But inside the Yankees' front office and pitching lab, this wasn’t just a depth move. This was a calculated swing at unlocking untapped potential-a classic Matt Blake project.
Let’s take a closer look at why the Yankees believe there’s more to Weathers than meets the stat line, and what it’ll take to turn this low-risk acquisition into a legitimate rotation piece-or a dangerous bullpen weapon.
The Tools Are There-Even If the Results Haven’t Been
Weathers’ surface numbers don’t inspire much confidence. But the Yankees aren’t just looking at ERA and innings pitched. They’re digging into the advanced metrics, and what they see is a pitcher with real, fixable upside.
Start with the fastball. Weathers ranks in the 86th percentile in fastball velocity.
That’s no fluke-the kid can bring it. But the problem lies in how he’s delivering that heat.
He’s in the 9th percentile in extension, meaning he’s releasing the ball earlier than most pitchers. That short-arm action gives hitters an extra split-second to pick up the pitch, and at the major league level, that’s the difference between a swing-and-miss and a double in the gap.
This is where Matt Blake and the Yankees’ pitching development team come in. Blake’s had success before with pitchers who needed mechanical tweaks to unlock their full potential.
The goal here is to get Weathers extending further down the mound, closer to league average. If they can do that, that 96 mph fastball suddenly plays like 98.
That’s not just a marginal gain-it’s a game-changer.
As Blake put it, “The biggest thing is just keeping him on the field. We have to do a good job of having a nice onramp for him this spring and keeping him healthy, but an electric arm with a nice arsenal - there’s definitely a ceiling for him he hasn’t touched yet.”
Stuff Isn’t the Issue-Execution Is
Weathers doesn’t lack for raw stuff. What he lacks is deception.
His pitches don’t fool hitters, and that’s reflected in a very low chase rate. When hitters are seeing the ball early and often, they’re going to do damage.
But if Blake can fix the extension issue and help Weathers better tunnel his pitches-especially by pairing that fastball with a sweeper that’s been underutilized-then suddenly those hard-hit balls turn into whiffs.
The Yankees believe that’s a real possibility. And they’re not just thinking bullpen here.
Rotation Hope, Bullpen Insurance
Make no mistake: the Yankees are giving Weathers a real shot to compete for a back-end rotation spot. GM Brian Cashman made that clear after the trade, saying, “Hopefully we together can unlock some things and his healthier years are right in front of him here in pinstripes. The talent has never been in question.”
That’s the bet. A healthy Weathers, with a few mechanical tweaks, could give the Yankees a controllable, high-upside lefty in the No. 4-6 starter range. That’s gold in today’s game.
But if the rotation plan doesn’t pan out? The fallback is just as intriguing.
Imagine Weathers coming out of the bullpen in October, letting it rip for two innings. A lefty with mid-90s heat and a sharp breaking ball is the kind of weapon every contender wants in the postseason. The Yankees know that, and they’re building in that flexibility.
Health Is the Hinge
All of this, of course, rests on one thing: staying healthy. Weathers has struggled to stay on the field, and if the shoulder flares up again this spring, the whole plan could unravel before it starts. But if he can give the Yankees even 100 innings, there’s a real path to value here-whether that’s in the rotation or as a multi-inning weapon out of the pen.
This isn’t just another flyer. This is a calculated gamble on upside, with a development team that’s shown it can turn projects into producers. The Yankees aren’t just hoping Ryan Weathers figures it out-they have a plan to help him get there.
And if it works, this might be one of the sneakiest moves of the offseason.