The New York Yankees made an under-the-radar trade with the Miami Marlins for starter Ryan Weathers on Tuesday, Jan. 12. They sent four of their positional player prospects, outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.
Ryan Weathers has had injury issues, which have reduced him to just 26 starts in two and a half seasons for the Marlins since getting traded from the San Diego Padres. The Yankees chose to add Weathers over signing free agent pitchers available in the market.
New York radio personality Michael Kay, on the eponymous podcast on Wednesday, called out the Yankees faithful for questioning the team’s signing.
“They made an inspired acquisition yesterday in Ryan Weathers,” Kay said. “Is he Sandy Koufax? No. But he’s 26 years old. He throws 97–98 miles an hour. He’s a former eighth pick in the first round of the draft by the San Diego Padres. The only thing that stood in his way is he’d been injured a lot.”
“…Everybody, you’re upset that they made an acquisition that actually could turn out. This guy, if they could straighten him out, is at least a number-three level starter with an upside of more with his stuff.”
Adding depth to the pitching staff should have been the only objective for the Yankees’ management. They have Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Luis Gil set to start the season, and at some point are awaiting the return of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, who are set to start the season on the injured list.
The Yankees’ trade comes a day before their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, reportedly reached an agreement with Ranger Suarez for a five-year, $130 million deal. But adding Suarez or other big-name free agents like Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen would be an excess for a settled rotation. Thus, New York got creative with Weathers.
Michael Kay Projecting Ryan Weathers To Be a Handy Bullpen Arm
Ryan Weathers, a career 4.93 ERA pitcher, will likely be at the backend of the rotation till either Cole or Rodon are healthy. He might be assigned a minor league stint to develop his pitching arsenal or, according to Kay, be used as a reliever because of his velocity.
“Once everybody gets back, he actually projects to be a pretty good reliever,” Kay added. “He can pitch out of the bullpen at 98 miles an hour. And you don’t think that’s a good acquisition? You’re upset about that? You’re upset about the fact that they’re upgrading their scoreboard? I think you really like to wallow in your misery.”
Weathers was the second starter traded by the Marlins within a week. They shipped out Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs on Jan. 7.
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