Padres Free Agent Target Signs With Yankees

Maren Angus-Coombs | 15 Hours Ago

Apr 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have reached an agreement to bring back right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga on a one-year contract, according to a source who spoke with MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Wednesday night.

The deal is contingent on a physical for Loáisiga, who has dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries in recent years. Over the past seven seasons with the Yankees, he has made 163 appearances.

Jonathan Loaisiga and the Yankees have agreed to a one-year deal with a team option, per source. @jorgecastillo was on it.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 12, 2024

Loáisiga was reportedly a free agent target for the San Diego Padres before agreeing to return to the Yankees with a team option for 2026.

The 30-year-old has been injured often as of late making only three appearances in 2024 before a flexor injury in his elbow led to season-ending surgery in April. This came after being limited to just 17 games in 2023 due to right elbow inflammation. He also missed nearly two months in 2022 because of shoulder inflammation.

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The Yankees confirmed that the procedure wasn’t Tommy John surgery, with an estimated recovery time of 10-12 months. Loáisiga should be ready to go by late April.

Loáisiga has topped 50 innings in a season only once, during his breakout 2021 campaign. That year, he went 9-4 with a 2.17 ERA (199 ERA+) and held opponents to a .281 slugging percentage after securing a full-time role in the Yankees' bullpen.

In his career, Loáisiga is 19-11 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 219.2 innings.

While the Yankees have yet to announce the signing, Loáisiga is the second player to agree to a deal with the Yankees since losing outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets.

Loáisiga joins two-time All-Star left-handed starter Max Fried, who finalized an eight-year, $218 million contract on Tuesday.

New York has seen several relievers depart in free agency this offseason, including Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Hill. As a result, Loáisiga will join a bullpen that is short on high-leverage options after Luke Weaver and Ian Hamilton.

General manager Brian Cashman is expected to stay active in the reliever market; the Yankees were previously linked to All-Star closer Carlos Estévez, and potential reunions with Kahnle and Hill remain a possibility.

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