Yankees news: Ryan Weathers hasn’t hit his ceiling, per Matt Blake

SNY | John Flanigan: A couple of weeks ago, the Yankees sent four prospects to the Miami Marlins to acquire exciting, yet injury-prone lefty Ryan Weathers to fortify their rotation. Weathers, who posted a 3.99 ERA in 38.1 innings last year with 37 strikeouts, still hasn’t hit his ceiling according to pitching coach Matt Blake.

“This is an exciting arm,” the pitching coach said on Yankee Hot Stove, per SNY. “It’s a kid who I’ve been following since high school when we were scouting him in the Amateur Draft, he’s done a nice job of growing into a major league version of himself. The biggest thing is just keeping him on the field. We have to do a good job of having a nice onramp for him this spring and keeping him healthy, but an electric arm with a nice arsenal — there’s definitely a ceiling for him he hasn’t touched yet.”

The 26-year-old southpaw possess a big fastball that averaged about 97 mph last year, so if Blake and the Yanks can optimize it and improve his consistency with his breaking stuff, he could have some untapped potential. The coach even discussed a plan for Weathers, involving more two-seamers “to help open the zone for his four-seam fastball and sweeper.” For more on Weathers, check out my colleague Peter’s analysis of Weathers from shortly after he was acquired.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty ($): On Friday, Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees were interested in some free agents, including right-hander Nick Martinez and Michael Kopech, plus outfielders Austin Slater and Randal Grichuk. He also said that Paul Goldschmidt was willing to return to the organization (Jack Curry had previously noted that the Yankees had discussed a Goldy return as well).

Well, on Saturday, it was revealed that the Yanks had already sent an big-league offer to Slater, a right-handed hitter who has fared well against lefties and whose potential arrival would theoretically force Jasson Domínguez out of the picture for semi-regular playing time. That being said, it isn’t known at the time whether or not the offer to Slater is still on the table (Cody Bellinger’s now-official contract could’ve change plans), and it’s also unclear when it was submitted. Slater had a .726 OPS against southpaws in 2025, encouraging New York to acquire him from the White Sox midseason, but a hamstring injury sidelined him almost immediately and he was a nonfactor in 14 games for the Yankees.

MLB.com | Theo DeRosa: Yankees reliever Camilo Doval has been added to the Dominican Republic roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, joining a fantastic collection of talent lead by players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodríguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and others. Doval took part in the 2023 edition of the tournament, pitching 2.1 scoreless frames with three punchouts back then. The 6-foot-2 righty is expected to be a key cog in the Yankees’ late-inning mix come Opening Day.