The weather eventually changed.
During the Winter Meetings in December, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough named Ryan Weathers as his pick for a breakout season in 2026 — a month before the left-hander was traded to the Yankees on Tuesday night.
“A bigger break for me is Ryan Weathers,” McCullough told reporters, according to FishOnFirst. “Ryan, for me it’s the talent. Unfortunately, he had an interrupted season last year with some injuries, just like in recent years.”
“Top stuff from the left side. He’s incredibly motivated and very competitive. I’m excited for Ryan. I predict Ryan will have a big year.”
The Yankees will hope McCullough’s assessment was correct after acquiring the 26-year-old flamethrower Tuesday in exchange for prospect Dillon Lewis. Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.
Weathers, the son of former Yankees and Mets reliever David Weathers, has consistently shown tantalizing displays while dealing with a series of injuries.
He landed on the 60-day injured list in 2024 with a left index finger strain, and made just eight starts last season while battling left forearm and lat strains.
A 20-year-old Weathers made his MLB debut with the Padres during the 2020 postseason, became the second pitcher in history whose first Major League appearance came in the playoffs.
When healthy, Weathers possesses an elite fastball with a heat average of 93 mph last season, according to Baseball Savant.
In 24 starts for Miami over the past two seasons, the seventh overall pick from the 2018 draft posted a 3.74 ERA with 117 strikeouts over 125 frames.
After the Marlins traded Edward Cabrera to the Cubs, a healthy Weathers figured to get behind 2022 National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, whose name has also been floating around in trade rumors.
Instead, Weathers joins a Yankees staff that will be without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt in early 2026.
He will look to break camp as part of a rotation that includes All-Star Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.
#Marlins #manager #predicts #breakout #Ryan #Weathers #month #Yankees #trade