Yankees Must Go All In on Reunion With Veteran Reliever This Offseason

The Yankees can turn to an old friend to improve their bullpen, especially after his resurgent season.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone should hope the front office adds more bullpen pieces, which could involve a familiar face. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the New York Yankees' areas of need is the bullpen, which was extremely top-heavy throughout the 2026 season.

The Bronx Bombers overly relied on a trio of Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and David Bednar, and this issue is exacerbated by the latter two entering free agency. But while re-signing Bednar is a priority, the Yankees recognize the need for further improvement and are looking at many external options.

One external option, though, is a pitcher they're extremely familiar with. Jonathan Loaisiga is back on the open market after spending the 2026 campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks; the 32-year-old previously pitched in the Bronx from 2018 to 2025. Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently reported that the Yankees are among Loaisiga's suitors.

Yankees, Mets and Blue Jays are among many teams in on ex-Yankee reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, who had a big year in Arizona (2.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 12, 2026

Pursuing reunions with former players is a popular idea in theory but isn't always successful in practice. However, it makes perfect sense for the Yankees to go after Loaisiga in this case.

Jonathan Loaisiga's resurgent 2026 season

Loaisiga is the definition of a high-risk, high-reward pitcher because the question surrounding him is not performance- or talent-related. In fact, the concerns about the Nicaraguan right-hander focus on whether he can stay healthy.

After his breakout 2021 season in the Bronx, Loaisiga battled a wave of injuries over the next four seasons, most notably undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. The Yankees ultimately decided Loaisiga was too injury-prone to be relied on despite his talent and declined his club option.

When healthy, the now 32-year-old is a fantastic setup man who dominates right-handed batters and consistently keeps the ball on the ground. The aforementioned 2021 season saw Loaisiga toss 70.2 innings over 57 appearances, logging a 2.17 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 69 strikeouts. Even as the injuries piled up, he never lost that nasty sinker that consistently approached triple digits in velocity.

Jonathan Loáisiga, 100mph 🔥🍝 pic.twitter.com/c8gClwYDjB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 17, 2021

The Diamondbacks took a flyer on Loaisiga this past season, and he proceeded to erase any doubts about his effectiveness. Appearing in at least 50 games for the first time since 2022, Loaisiga threw 67.0 innings across a career-high 67 games and posted a 2.42 ERA and 2.88 FIP. Despite totaling just 48 strikeouts, the right-hander allowed just 13 walks and three home runs while generating a 55.8% ground ball rate.

2026 was the first season since 2021 when Loaisiga was consistently available, and it resulted in a similarly effective campaign with a lower strikeout total. Having witnessed that 2021 campaign for themselves, the Yankees should hardly be surprised by his resurgence.

The Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays are among many teams in on Jonathan Loáisiga, per @JonHeyman.

2025 with NYY: 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP in 29.2 IP
2026 with ARI: 2.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP in 67 IP, 13 BB

67 innings was his most since 2021, after four straight seasons under 50. pic.twitter.com/xANi17IJpa

— The Skippers View (@TheSkippersView) November 12, 2026

How Loaisiga fits the Yankees again

The lower strikeout total might be a bit concerning to the Yankees, as their bullpen lacks a power pitcher. However, they need a higher-velocity arm; after trading Camilo Doval at the 2026 deadline, Bednar was the only bullpen arm who averaged over 96 mph with his fastball (not counting Angel Chivilli, who pitched just 15 games all season).

As mentioned previously, Loaisiga's sinker is consistently in the upper-90s and capable of surpassing 100 mph. His average fastball velocity of 97.8 mph ranked in the 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers on Baseball Savant.

For reference, the only Yankee pitchers to rank in a higher percentile were Cam Schlittler and Chivilli, both of whom were in the 94th percentile. That kind of velocity should complement New York's other arms, who rely more on off-speed and breaking pitches.

Loaisiga shouldn't be the only addition the Yankees make, though. Along with the obvious move of re-signing Bednar, they should aggressively pursue Adrian Morejon, another pitcher with a blistering sinker but with a much higher strikeout rate. That would create a back end of Bednar, Morejon, Loaisiga, and Brent Headrick, an overwhelming foursome for opposing batters to deal with.

Ultimately, the Yankees should see Loaisiga as a complementary piece in a re-tooled bullpen. They know what he can do when healthy, and while other moves should be made to avoid relying on his health, Loaisiga's elite velocity and pitch-to-contact skills are two things New York would love to have in the late innings.

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