When asked this week about the Yankees' top priority this offseason outside of Juan Soto, Hal Steinbrenner singled out pitching.
In that spirit, the club has stayed in touch with a valuable high-leverage arm who only knew life in the major leagues as a Yankee.
The Yankees were one of the few teams to send a scout to meet Jonathan Loaisiga this week, officials said Saturday. The right-hander is recovering from UCL surgery that ended his guaranteed final season in the Bronx in April.
Seven months after surgery, Loaisiga is throwing from 90 feet in Houston and is said to be “feeling great” and aims to start pitching out of the bullpen in January.
In his first appearance on the open market, the 30-year-old Loaisiga walked just four innings: He was shuffled to the IL with what was initially called a right flexor strain, then underwent incredible elbow surgery. Become Tommy John.
At the time, Loaisiga's return was expected to take 10 to 12 months, but he appears to be on track.
Sources said 14 teams, including the Yankees, have checked into Loaisiga. Despite the risks, there is a lot of interest in high-octane arms.
Loaisiga debuted as a swingman in 2018, grew into a role as a multiple-inning relief pitcher, and eventually settled into a bullpen spot, including shorter bursts, as injuries piled up.
In 2023, he spent time with inflammation in his elbow and surgery to remove a bone spur. He suffered from inflammation in his right shoulder in 2022, shoulder strain in 2021, and shoulder strain again in 2019. Looking to the future, he required Tommy John surgery in 2016.
Still, when he took the mound, he was at least consistent and often dominant as he posted a career ERA of 3.44 in 219 sq./₃ innings.
Since '21, Loaisiga has pitched to a 2.89 ERA, relying primarily on a hard sinker, and his 98.1 mph average was the 13th fastest among eligible relievers during that span. Loaisiga is one of the strongest setup arms in the game when he's at his best, or even just when he's really healthy.
The Yankees know there is a need, and there will be a need. Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill and Tim Mayza joined Loaisiga in free agency.
The club's 40-man bullpen options, as currently constructed, include Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins, Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Efros, Yerry De Los Santos, and possibly a potential swing. The team consists of man Clayton Beater, JT Brubaker, and Cody Poteet.
There are more important items on the front burner, but the bullpen will likely be addressed with a strong right-hander, the Yankees know better than anyone.
“You never think you'll have enough pitches, right?” Steinbrenner said. “So we're going to go deep into the starting rotation, deep into the bullpen.
“We're in the middle of free agent meetings, vetting all the players that are out there and then starting to ask the hard questions and figure out how to improve.”
