The Yankees rotation could be set on paper, and there’s reason to believe they’ll back out of any other deals for a starting pitcher, but this deal for Ryan Weathers should set them up for another upgrade.
If the team is going to form a truly excellent roster for the 2026 season then they need to be hunting for opportunistic upgrades the same way that the Blue Jays have this season.
While some could argue they need another bat, the seemingly inevitable reunion between the Yankees and Cody Bellinger should provide the offensive punch they’re looking for.
Instead we’re using this newfound pitching depth (and hopefully a return of Bellinger) to put together the kind of mock trade that would give the Yankees another big piece to form a legitimately dominant starting five.
READ MORE: Yankees’ Cody Bellinger pursuit has an ‘obvious’ outcome
This Yankees-Rays Mock Trade Could Give the Yankees The Best Pitching Staff in Baseball
Drew Rasmussen on the surface doesn’t feel like the kind of pitcher who is a massive upgrade because he doesn’t have the name-brand allure that Freddy Peralta has, but don’t sleep on how productive he’s been with Tampa Bay.
This past season Rasmussen had a 49.3% GB% and 15.4% K-BB% which are both above-average for a starting pitcher, resulting in a 2.72 ERA and 3.72 xFIP across 31 starts.
At just 150 innings pitched there are concerns about his ability to pitch deep into games on the surface, but this had less to do with his talent and more to do with how many innings he didn’t throw from 2023-2024.
He had a UCL tear which require season-ending Tommy John Surgery in 2023 and rebounded from that traumatic procedure beautifully this past season, looking like a no. 2 starter for the Rays.
His Stuff+ did drop from 2024 but that was because he returned from a brief stint in the bullpen back to being a starter, what is more important to me is the fact that this was his best Stuff+ as a full-seasom starter.
Owed just $5.75 million for the upcoming season with a club option at $8 million for 2027, this is an incredibly appealing contract, and the Rays could look to cash-in after Rasmussen threw the most innings of his career.
For the Yankees, this is a hard-throwing starter who they’ve faced before and know can be a difficult matchup, with Ryan Weathers giving them the flexibility to deal MLB-ready arms in this kind of trade.
In this two-for-one deal the Yankees are sending over five years of cost-controlled production from Will Warren alongside a good prospect in Bryce Cunningham who is likely beginning his season in High-A next year.
This feels like a fair package for these two sides since the Rays get a top 10 prospect in the Yankees’ organization and an MLB-ready starter which is highly valuable in this market place.
I’d also wonder if J.C. Escarra interests them as a throw-in piece since their projected starter at catcher is Nick Fortes who is far from atrocious given his defensive chops, but could be suited well to platoon with a left-handed catcher.
A rotation with Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Drew Rasmussen, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, Clarke Schmidt Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and Elmer Rodriguez all able to take the mound at various points this year is disgusting.
Maybe they go for a more conventional deal with a Freddy Peralta or MacKenzie Gore type, but I like the idea of them getting creative with a second starter addition as well.
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