Asked this week about the Yankees’ top priority this offseason in the non-Juan Soto division, Hal Steinbrenner cited pitching.
In that spirit, the club has kept in touch with a valuable, high-leverage arm who has only known major league life as a Yankee.
The Yankees were among a handful of teams that sent a scout to see Jonathan Loaisiga this week, a source said Saturday, as the right-hander recovers from UCL surgery that ended his last guaranteed season in The Bronx in April.
Seven months after surgery, Loaisiga is throwing from 90 feet in Houston and said to be “feeling great,” aiming to begin throwing bullpen sessions in January.
A 30-year-old who has hit the open market for the first time, Loaisiga’s walk-year lasted just four innings: He was shuffled to the IL with what was first called a right flexor strain and became an elbow surgery that was not believed to be Tommy John.
At the time, Loaisiga was expected back in 10-12 months, and he appears to be on track.
Fourteen teams, including the Yankees, have checked in on Loaisiga, the source said — plenty of interest for a high-octane, if risky, arm.
Loaisiga debuted as a swingman in 2018, grew into a role as a multiple-inning reliever and eventually settled into a bullpen spot that included shorter bursts as injuries piled up.
In 2023, it was elbow inflammation and surgery to remove a bone spur that cost him time. He dealt with right shoulder inflammation in ’22, a shoulder strain in ’21 and another shoulder strain in ’19. As a prospect, he required Tommy John surgery in 2016.
Yet, when he has been on the mound — posting a career 3.44 ERA in 219 ²/₃ innings — he has been at least solid and often dominant.
Since ’21, Loaisiga has pitched to a 2.89 ERA relying primarily on a hard sinker that has averaged 98.1 mph, the 13th-fastest among qualified relievers in the span. At his best — or really just when healthy — Loaisiga has been among the most potent setup arms in the game.
The Yankees are aware and will have needs. Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill and Tim Mayza have joined Loaisiga in free agency.
As currently constructed, the club’s 40-man bullpen options consist of Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins, Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Yerry De Los Santos and perhaps potential swingmen in Clayton Beeter, JT Brubaker and Cody Poteet.
There are more significant items on the front burner, but the bullpen will be addressed — perhaps with a strong right arm the Yankees know better than anyone.
“I don’t think you can ever have enough pitching, right?” Steinbrenner said. “So we’re going to take a deep dive into the starting rotation, into the bullpen.
“We’ve been right in the middle of our free-agent meetings where we’re just going through every single player that’s out there, and then we start asking the hard questions and figure out how to improve.”
