The New York Yankees completed a rather surprising trade on Tuesday night, acquiring pitcher Ryan Weathers in a trade with the Miami Marlins.
The Yankees had been searching for a starter all offseason, and they finally found one. That means the search is over, right?
Apparently not.
A report surfaced after the Weathers deal that New York was still searching for high-end pitching, with Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore both being floated as possible trade targets.
The Yankees have been coveting Peralta and Gore throughout the winter, but does it make sense for New York to still pursue either arm now that it just traded four prospects — including a pair of really good ones in outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones — for Weathers?
We already know that the Yanks will be without both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to start 2026. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Rodon underwent a procedure to clean out some debris from his elbow after the playoffs.
So, yeah: the Yankees did need another starting pitcher to fill that gap. Enter Weathers.
But once Cole and Rodon get healthy, New York will seven very capable big-league starters on its roster including Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil.
Trading one of Warren or Gil seemed inevitable after landing Weathers, but instead, the Bronx Bombers are evidently pursuing another pitcher.
Could this mean that something is seriously wrong with Cole?
This is entirely speculation on my part, but at this point, you do have to wonder if Cole’s rehab is not going according to plan.
Cole had Tommy John surgery last March. The initial hope was that he would be ready for Opening Day 2026, but back in mid-October, it was revealed that Cole would begin next season on the shelf.
Okay, so he’ll miss a few weeks, right?
Well, then a report surfaced that Cole might not be ready until June. That is slightly alarming no matter how you spin it.
Yes, Cole is 35 years old and the Yankees are paying him a lot of money, so they understandably want to ensure he is 100 percent healthy before sending him back out on to the mound.
But is it possible that New York knows something else? Or maybe there is a legitimate concern that he won’t even be back in early June?
Unless the Yankees are planning on moving a couple of their starters to the bullpen, it doesn’t make much sense to go out and add another starter after already nabbing Weathers.
Maybe New York just wanted to secure a safety net in Weathers in the event that it didn’t land Peralta or Gore. Or perhaps the Yankees are more concerned about Cole than we think.
Hopefully, I’m completely wrong here and New York has a greater plan, but you can’t help but wonder if something is amiss.
