Ryan Weathers received surprising news about his trade to the New York Yankees in an unusual setting on Tuesday. After finishing a bullpen session, the 26-year-old left-hander was relaxing at his home in a travel sauna when he got the call from Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix informing him of the deal.
Bendix traded Weathers to the Yankees in exchange for four prospects: outfielders Brendan Jones and Dillon Lewis, along with infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus. The unexpected news marked a significant moment for Weathers, whose father, David Weathers, also had a connection to the Yankees historically.
Parallel Paths for Ryan and His Father David Weathers
Ryan’s father, David Weathers, had a similar experience when he learned he was joining the Yankees shortly before the 1996 trade deadline. David was in the Dodgers’ bullpen at Dodger Stadium when manager Rene Lachemann informed him to get ready for a conversation with general manager Dave Dombrowski. The trade delivered David a World Series ring that year.
Reflecting on their parallel journeys, Ryan said,
“We’ve kind of had a weird, similar paths as to how we got to New York.”
The resemblance in their stories adds a unique layer to Ryan’s arrival in the Yankees’ organization.
David Weathers Reacts to Son’s Trade
David learned about Ryan’s move while watching a basketball game at Loretto High School in Tennessee with his wife, Kelli. A friend mentioned the trade, and shortly after, Ryan called to confirm the news. David recounted the moment:
“One of my friends came up and said, ‘I think Ryan’s been traded to the Yankees.’ And I said: ‘Well, if he has, I hadn’t heard anything about it.’ We laughed, and about that time my phone started ringing. It was Ryan.”
The father-son duo is poised to become only the fifth such pair to play for the Yankees, joining legendary names like Yogi and Dale Berra, Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr., and others. This adds a historic dimension to Ryan’s new role in New York.
Ryan Weathers’ Initial Reaction to Joining the Yankees
Ryan described his conversation with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone as surreal.
“I just couldn’t believe that the New York Yankees were a team that I could ever have a chance to play for,”
he said. The team’s pitching rotation currently includes Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Luis Gil while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón recover from injuries, setting the stage for Weathers’ integration.
Recent Performance and Health Update on Weathers
Despite facing injury challenges, Weathers has been steadily improving. In 2023, he ended the season 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA through eight starts, limited by a strained left flexor and a lat injury that sidelined him for several months. During the ongoing 2024 season, Weathers posted a 5-6 record with a 3.63 ERA before a strained left index finger caused another setback.
On his current condition, Weathers noted,
“This is the best I’ve probably felt in a year-and-a-half. I really did a dive and worked with company on figuring out how to lengthen my lat out, lengthen my back out. We really adjusted a lot of my lifting patterns. We really adjusted my mobility and my prep work, and I think my arm is reaping the benefits right now.”
Early Influences and Baseball Upbringing
Growing up around Major League clubhouses provided Weathers with a unique perspective on professional baseball. He vividly recalled the Cincinnati Reds‘ clubhouse where he encountered stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Joey Votto and spent time playing games with Dusty Baker, Ramón Hernández, Eric Milton, and Juan Castro.
He reflected on those experiences by saying,
“There’s been a lot of hours put in the Cincinnati Reds’ batting cages. I just remember Pops taking me to the field every day. I know when his arm was hurting, he’d still throw me BP.”
This early exposure shaped Weathers’ love for the game and informed his development as a pitcher.
Draft Background and Major League Beginnings
Selected seventh overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2008 amateur draft, Weathers made his major league debut during the 2020 NL Division Series against the Dodgers. His postseason debut ranks among a rare group of just six players to start a career in the playoffs. During difficult moments, Weathers credits his father’s guidance as invaluable.
“When I first started going through it and getting adversity and getting traded, he really helped me along those lines of figuring out: This is what you do with your new team. This was what you do in your day-to-day,”
Ryan shared.
“So I’ve been doing mechanics since I was age 10.”
Continued Mentorship and Relationships in Baseball
Weathers has maintained close ties with Aaron Harang, a former teammate of his father who last appeared in the majors in 2015.
“He still texts me all the time,”
Weathers said.
“When I was younger, I didn’t really care about pitching. I just wanted to hit bombs in the outfield, so I didn’t really think about it.”
This ongoing mentorship highlights Weathers’ evolving approach to the game.
David Weathers Reflects on Watching His Son Play
David admits that watching Ryan pitch is more nerve-wracking than his own time on the mound.
“It’s way tougher being a dad and watching your son pitch than being a pitcher,”
he said.
“When he pitches, man, it is just like all day, it’s like I’m pitching. I’m thinking about what I would do, how I would attack these guys.”
His perspective emphasizes the emotional weight of fatherhood in professional baseball.
Additional Yankees Roster Moves
Alongside Weathers’ acquisition, the Yankees have secured right-hander Paul Blackburn on a $2 million, one-year contract as they continue to strengthen their pitching depth. This move complements a roster navigating injury recoveries and looking toward postseason contention.
