The Blue Jays don’t need another bullpen arm just for the sake of adding one. They need someone who can handle the ugly innings, keep the ball on the ground and survive the kind of pressure Toronto has leaned on a small group of relievers to absorb.
That’s why Jonathan Loaisiga makes sense as a free-agent target.
Toronto’s bullpen has not been driven by right-handed pitching in the way you might expect. Over the last few years, the work has largely fallen to the left side and to a few key arms.
Louis Varland, who came over at the 2025 trade deadline and took over as closer in late April of this year after Jeff Hoffman’s inconsistency, leads the group with 3.2 fWAR. Tyler Rogers sits next at 1.1, and he’s the only other reliever in the bullpen above 1.0 fWAR.
After that, the numbers drop off. Braydon Fisher has 0.9 fWAR in 116 relief appearances since 2025, but his 2026 season raised concerns when his strikeout rate fell from 11.16 to 8.8 and his home run rate allowed climbed from 7.4% to 11.3%.
Tommy Nance, who was sent to the Minnesota Twins, is at 0.8. Brendon Little and Mason Fluharty are next at 0.7 apiece.
The Jays are expected to add to the rotation, and that could push pitchers like Spencer Miles, Cody Ponce, Bowden Francis or Spencer Arrighetti into bullpen roles. Even so, Toronto still needs arms built for the most important innings before the ball gets to Rogers and Varland.
There was a time when Chad Green or Hoffman looked like possible answers, and when Yariel Rodriguez seemed like he might settle in as a reliable reliever. That didn’t really happen. So the front office has reason to keep shopping, and Loaisiga offers a profile that stands out.
The 32-year-old is back on the market after injuries over the last three years forced him to settle for a $1 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks last January. He responded with a strong season, throwing 67 innings and posting a 2.42 ERA and 2.88 FIP. He gave up only three home runs and cut his walk rate to 1.75 BB/9, the best mark of his career in any season with at least 40 innings.
His value wasn’t built on missing bats in bunches. It came from a fastball that could reach 98 mph, one that produced ground balls and limited damage. Loaisiga finished with the third-highest Run Value among free agents this year at +14 on his fastball, part of a small group of just seven pitchers who reached +11 or better.
He also checked in with the second-lowest whiff rate in that group at 23.1%, tied with Sonny Gray, but allowed the lowest Hard-Hit rate at 31.7%. Only Nick Martinez, with a +17 fastball, and left-hander Foster Griffin, with +16, finished ahead of him in that category.
The ground-ball profile is another reason he fits Toronto. Loaisiga posted a 55.8% ground-ball rate, second only to left-hander Adrian Morejon’s 58.0%, and that lines up well with the Blue Jays’ infield defense, where third baseman Kazuma Okamoto was the only player with negative Fielding Run Value grades.
There’s also the division factor. Loaisiga has handled American League East lineups before, and that matters.
Across his first eight seasons with the New York Yankees, he put together a 9-5 record with a 2.85 ERA in 104 ⅔ innings. He appeared in 85 relief games and made two starts, giving him the kind of familiarity and experience Toronto won’t find easily in free agency.
Steamer projects him for about 65 innings next season, with his FIP rising from 2.98 to 3.63 and his value landing around 0.6 fWAR. For a reliever who could be available on a one- or two-year deal in the $10 million to $12 million range, that looks like a sensible investment for a team trying to deepen its bullpen.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Prospects Get A Big AFL Stage With Plenty At Stake
The Arizona Fall League has become a useful proving ground for the Blue Jays next wave, and this year it is putting three of their prospects on a bigger stage. Pitcher Jake Bloss, catcher Aaron Parker and outfielder Jake Cook have all earned spots in the Fall Stars Game, a nice snapshot of how much Toronto has to monitor as it looks for help beyond the big-league roster. For a club that is always trying to thread the needle between present contention and future depth, performances in a setting like this can carry real weight.
Parker has already made noise in the AFL with a strong season, while Cook has added value with his speed and offense, even leading his team in stolen bases. Bloss remains the name with perhaps the most long-term intrigue, because the organization still sees him as someone who could fit into a rotation picture down the line. The Fall Stars showcase will not settle any of those questions, but it does give Toronto another chance to measure how these prospects handle pressure against some of the best young talent in the game. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Added Flexibility To One Quiet Roster Battle
The Blue Jays quietly added another layer to their pitching depth by bringing back right-hander Lazaro Estrada on a minor league contract with a spring training invitation. Toronto also kept five other minor leaguers in the fold and added teenage left-hander Cheng-Hao Wu from Taiwan, a small flurry of moves that helps keep the organization stocked as camp approaches and the club sorts through its options behind the big league staff.
One of the more interesting ripple effects comes with pitcher Bloss, who now qualifies for a fourth option year because of his injury-related service time. It is the kind of roster wrinkle that can matter later in the spring, especially for a team trying to balance development, depth and flexibility without locking itself into decisions too early. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Offseason Could Hinge On Which Atkins Target They Actually Land
Ross Atkins has rarely been shy about shopping at the top of the market, and this offseason figures to be no different for a Blue Jays front office that has long shown a willingness to chase premium talent when it thinks the fit is right. The usual Atkins blueprint includes both marquee free agents and players from the Asian market, which is why Toronto keeps showing up in conversations around a wide range of possible additions. Among the names that make sense on paper are Freddy Peralta, Teruaki Sato, Seiya Suzuki and Kaima Taira, each carrying a different kind of appeal depending on how the roster is shaped over the next few months.
The challenge for Toronto is less about identifying talent than choosing the right lane and then actually landing the player who matches it. Some targets would strengthen the lineup immediately, while others would give the club more flexibility or upside in different ways, but the Jays can only make so many bets with the offseason market likely to move fast. In that sense, the real story is not just who Atkins likes, but which of those player types the Blue Jays are positioned to secure when the bidding starts. [Read more 🡒]