The Toronto Blue Jays have joined the list of teams expressing interest in free-agent relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The 32-year-old right-hander, who spent the 2024 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, has become a target for several clubs looking to add bullpen depth. After struggling with injuries over a three-year period, he signed a $1 million contract with Arizona last January.
Beyond Toronto, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets are also monitoring the reliever’s status. Loaisiga’s connection to the Yankees is well-established, as he spent the first eight seasons of his Major League Baseball career in the Bronx before moving to Arizona as a free agent last January.
The veteran pitcher has compiled a 3.30 earned run average over nine seasons since debuting in June 2018, as RDS reported.
Loaisiga’s 2024 campaign in Phoenix was statistically strong, featuring a 2.42 ERA across 67 relief appearances and 67 innings pitched. While his strikeout numbers remain modest, his ability to suppress hard contact and generate ground balls has drawn attention from analytics-focused front offices. He recorded a 2.88 FIP and achieved a career-best walk rate of 1.75 BB/9 in seasons where he surpassed 40 innings.
According to analysis from SI.com, Loaisiga finished with the third-highest Run Value among this year’s free-agent class for his fastball, which can reach 98 mph. He allowed the lowest hard-hit rate (31.7%) among a select group of high-performing free-agent relievers, a profile that could complement the Blue Jays’ defensive alignment. He also ranked second among that group in ground-ball generation at 55.8%.
The interest in a right-handed arm like Loaisiga arrives as the Blue Jays look to stabilize a bullpen that has relied heavily on left-handed options in recent years.
While Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers have anchored the bullpen, the team has faced a need for reliable depth to handle important innings before getting to them. Previous attempts to use experienced options like Chad Green, Jeff Hoffman, and Yariel Rodriguez in high-pressure situations did not yield the desired results.
The current relief corps has seen mixed performance, including a decline from Braydon Fisher, whose strikeout rate fell from 11.16 in 2025 to 8.8 in 2026, while his home run rate allowed rose from 7.4% to 11.3%. With the team expected to focus on starting rotation reinforcements, the front office is seeking to improve upon a bullpen that saw left-handers Brendon Little and Mason Fluharty finish with 0.7 fWAR each.
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