The Yankees didn't trade for Ryan Weathers to save their season. When they sent four minor leaguers to the Marlins for him back on January 14, he was insurance — a guy to eat innings while Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt all opened the year hurt. Rodon eventually came back, then landed on the injured list again in July with left elbow inflammation. Max Fried has had his own absence to deal with. Weathers never left the rotation, and 7 months later, he's the one thing about the Yankees' pitching staff that hasn't gone sideways.
With guys like Fried and Rodon missing chunks of time with Cole out to begin the year as well, Weathers making every start and getting stronger as the season goes has been an awesome surprise. I was dead wrong on him.
That's the version of events Eric Hubbs laid out, and it lines up with what's actually happened on the mound. Weathers has piled up a career-high workload north of 120 innings this season, and he's been trending up, not down, as the summer's worn on — a stretch that included back-to-back scoreless outings in early August. For a guy the Yankees picked up as a fifth-starter hedge, that's a legitimately good problem to have.
Monday's win was the latest example. New York needed a late rally to close it out, and Weathers had already done his part before the bullpen finished the job.
Late charge does the trick. 7th inning full of good at bats from Garcia, Jazz, Spencer, McMahon, and Grisham gets it done. Weathers with ANOTHER rock solid start. Pen put them to bed. Keep stacking wins
Barstool's DraftKings crew took notice, too. Spider built his pick of the day around the Yankees moneyline with Weathers on the bump, following what's become a reliable pattern all season.
Spider breaks down his DraftKings pick of the day, backing the Yankees moneyline with Ryan Weathers starting.
The bigger question is what happens when the rotation actually gets whole. Rodon is working his way back from that elbow injury, and once he's cleared, someone has to make room. Hubbs floated the idea of sliding Weathers into relief instead of squeezing him out entirely.
As for what’s next? If Rodon can come back from the injury and be serviceable, that allows you to put Weathers in a 2 inning weapon x role that they really could use in the pen. Then again how do you take him outta the rotation. Career high innings keep piling up. Idk
It's a good problem, but still a problem. Weathers has earned more than a bullpen demotion with the way he's pitched, and the innings he's already logged make a multi-inning relief role a real option rather than a punishment. Either way, the Yankees owe him a rotation spot for as long as Rodon and Fried are question marks — and right now, that's exactly what he's got.