The New York Yankees have a type, and apparently, that type is “electric lefties with medical files thicker than a dictionary.” General Manager Brian Cashman’s latest roll of the dice is Ryan Weathers, a 26-year-old flamethrower who fits the modern Yankee blueprint perfectly: elite raw stuff, fascinating underlying metrics, and a terrifying inability to stay on the mound.
On paper, Weathers is the kind of high-upside lottery ticket that pitching coach Matt Blake turns into an All-Star. In reality, he’s a gamble that could just as easily end up on the 60-day IL by May.
We need to talk about the arm talent first because it is undeniably seductive. Left-handers who sit in the 86th percentile for Fastball Velocity don’t just wander into your lap every day. Weathers averages 96.8 mph on the heater, a number that plays in any era and makes scouts drool. He pairs that heat with a respectable 28.8% Whiff rate, suggesting that when he is right, batters are swinging at air more often than not.
The Medical Red Flags Are Impossible to Ignore
But here is the rub, and it is a big one. You can’t help the team if you are watching from the dugout in a hoodie. Weathers has never cracked the 100-inning mark in a single professional season. His career high of 94.2 innings came all the way back in his rookie season of 2021 with the Padres. Since then? It’s been a struggle to stay upright. He topped out at 86.2 innings in 2024 and managed a paltry 38.1 innings last season with the Marlins due to injury.
The Yankees are banking on a guy who posted a 3.99 ERA over just eight starts last year to help stabilize a rotation waiting on Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. It is a massive ask. He isn’t just a depth piece; he is being asked to be a bridge to the aces, a role that requires durability he simply hasn’t shown.
The “Gas Station” Plan: Sinker, Slider, and Ground Balls
So, why take the risk? Because the Yankees believe they can fix him. The plan is likely to overhaul his pitch mix, scrapping the four-seam fastball and changeup usage in favor of a heavy sinker-slider diet. Weathers already keeps the ball on the ground at a 44.8% clip, but the Yankees want to spike that number to leverage their improving infield defense.
If Blake can unlock the sinker and get Weathers to trust his stuff in the zone—he already limits walks well with a 7.2% walk rate—this could be the steal of the offseason. Best case scenario? He gives you 120 quality innings as a mid-rotation starter or morphs into a dominant multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen come October. Worst case? He’s another power arm rehabbing in Tampa while the bullpen gets scorched. It’s a high-wire act, but that’s the only way the Yankees seem to know how to operate these days.