Jonathan Loaisiga has been the Yankees’ ultimate "what if" for years — what if he could stay healthy, what if his 98-mph fastball and vicious curve could anchor a bullpen, what if he didn’t spend more time in the training room than on the mound?
The tantalizing potential has always been there, and don't get me wrong, he's had really good moments. But Jon has had so many injuries. After missing much of 2023 with arm issues, Loaisiga managed just three appearances in 2024 before tearing his UCL and undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. For a power pitcher who lives off high velocity, a second go-around with this procedure is a daunting hurdle. Now, as a free agent rehabbing in Houston and aiming for bullpen sessions in January, Loaisiga is drawing interest from 14 teams, including the Yankees, who are once again scouting the right-hander they’ve watched for his entire career.
While there’s undeniable upside in Loaisiga — a guy who can dominate when his arm isn’t threatening to stage a mutiny — the Yankees’ interest feels like a microcosm of their puzzling offseason approach. Sure, the bullpen needs work, with
Clay Holmes,
Tommy Kahnle,
Tim Hill, and
Tim Mayza all hitting free agency, but pinning hopes on a two-time Tommy John veteran reeks of either desperation, stinginess, or sentimentality. My opinion of course, and I love Loaisiga.
The Yankees’ current bullpen strategy feels less like a plan and more like a shrug, especially since the team seems paralyzed while waiting for Juan Soto to decide his next move. Rather than addressing glaring needs, they’re sitting on their hands, scouting Loaisiga as if he’s some secret weapon rather than a roll of the dice. My opinion of course, and you can have yours.
You can’t help but feel bad for us Yankees fans who, after watching years of overspending on shiny-but-unreliable free agents, are now enduring an offseason of thrift-shop strategizing. Loaisiga is talented, sure, but shouldn’t the Yankees be gunning for surer bets to fix their bullpen?
The idea of bringing him back is, at best, an emotional hedge — they like the guy, they don’t want him to sign elsewhere, and they’re hoping he’ll return to his 2021 form. But when that hope starts to look like the core of the strategy, you can’t help but shake your head. The Yankees have spent seven years waiting on Loaisiga to stay healthy, and now they’re waiting on Soto to make a decision before addressing their real needs. It’s hard not to wonder: is this desperation, cheapness, or just the Yankees being weird? Maybe it’s all three.
