The New York Yankees need relievers, and Luke Weaver is still without a job. Despite his wildly inconsistent 2025 summer, a reunion makes sense and is very much in play. Meanwhile, the bidding war for Tatsuya Imai is in full swing, and Carlos Rodón offered optimism about a quick 2026 return.
Yankees are reportedly seeking a reunion with Luke Weaver
Luke Weaver’s free agency has quietly developed into a broad market, with roughly 10 teams — including the Yankees — showing real interest in the right-hander. Despite some midseason chatter about a possible return to starting, clubs are viewing Weaver strictly as a reliever, valuing his bat-missing ability and underlying metrics more than his surface-level inconsistency.
A hamstring injury disrupted his 2025 season and contributed to a sharp second-half stumble, but the strikeouts actually ticked up after his return, reinforcing the idea that his stuff never disappeared.
At 32, Weaver profiles as a low-cost bullpen arm on a one- or two-year deal, either as a bounce-back bet or a short-term stabilizer. For the Yankees, the appeal is simple: affordable whiffs, solid predictive indicators, and upside that outpaces the risk.
Bidding War: Yankees free agent rumors heating up around Tatsuya Imai
Brian Cashman’s search for rotation help has split into two starkly different paths. On one side is Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, a high-upside arm expected to command $150–200 million in a bidding war that includes the Cubs and Phillies. On the other is Michael King, a known quantity who would come cheaper but carries significant durability concerns after multiple arm injuries.
Imai offers youth, velocity, and a clean medical slate, but securing him would require a massive financial commitment and the willingness to outbid aggressive rivals before his January 2 decision deadline. King, meanwhile, represents comfort and continuity, yet his limited innings in 2025 raise legitimate concerns about whether he can be relied upon over a full season. The Yankees must decide quickly which risk they can live with: paying top dollar for upside or betting on a fragile arm they know all too well.
Carlos Rodon expects to be pitching for the Yankees in Spring Training, still out for Opening Day
Carlos Rodón’s 2025 workload told the real story of his season — nearly 200 innings that stabilized the Yankees’ rotation but also left him worn down by October. An elbow procedure to remove a bone spur and loose bodies followed, ruling him out for Opening Day but not threatening his season as a whole.
Rodón is already throwing and targeting a return in late April or early May, a timeline the Yankees are treating with cautious optimism rather than urgency. Both player and team understand the priority isn’t speed, but sustainability. After anchoring the rotation with elite production and durability last year, Rodón doesn’t need to be rushed back to prove anything. The Yankees can survive without him early; they can’t afford to lose him again later.