Diamondbacks Sign 8-Year Reliever Who's Spent His Whole Career With Yankees

January 14, 2026 ,
New York Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga celebrates during 2025 game.

Arizona Diamondbacks fans just got an intriguing bullpen lottery ticket, as the club has signed Jonathan Loaisiga to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. 

It's the kind of upside play Arizona needed after a messy 2025 relief season, and it gives them a chance to buy low on a pitcher who has already shown he can be a late inning weapon.

Diamondbacks bullpen plan gets a Loaisiga swing

Loaisiga, 31, comes over after eight seasons with the New York Yankees, where flashes of dominance made him a fan favorite. 

His peak was 2021, when he delivered 70.2 innings with a 2.17 ERA, piling up five saves and 10 holds while missing bats and living on the ground with a heavy sinker. 

Arizona is clearly betting that version is still in there, especially with their bullpen needing stability after injuries helped derail the plan and left them searching for answers all year. 

Jonathan Loaisiga’s health risk is the whole story

The risk is obvious, because Loaisiga has struggled to stay on the field. He dealt with shoulder trouble in 2022, elbow issues that led to UCL surgery in April 2024, and then returned in 2025 for 29.2 innings with a 4.25 ERA, plus another late season shutdown after back tightness and a subsequent lat strain. 

Still, he has reasons to believe a bounceback is possible, including showing mid 90s velocity in winter ball, and there is a financial angle too. 

Reports indicated he passed on a one year, $1 million major league offer from the Minnesota Twins, choosing Arizona with a path to earn significantly more if he makes the roster.

If Loaisiga is right, the Diamondbacks could stumble into a real back end option without burning a 40 man spot right away.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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