What a day for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After breaking news revealed that they traded for eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals, another one of Arizona's transactions made headlines.
Right-handed reliever Jonathan Loaisiga will join the Diamondbacks on a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, ESPN's Jorge Castillo reported on X on Tuesday.
Loaisiga made his Major League debut in 2018 with the New York Yankees and spent the last eight years with the AL East club. Injuries, including a season-ending right flexor strain in August, limited him to 29.2 innings this past season.
Loaisiga has a good chance of having a spot in the D-Backs' bullpen
By signing him to a minor league deal, the Diamondbacks are playing it safe with Loaisiga's injury history. Loaisiga has thrown just 51.1 Major League innings since the start of the 2023 season.
The best season of his career was 2021, when he posted a 2.17 ERA with 69 strikeouts in a career high 70.2 innings with the Yankees. His 96.8 mph average fastball velocity and high sinker usage help generate a lot of ground balls, which should be of interest to the Diamondbacks.
If Loaisiga can remain healthy, there's no reason Arizona should not at least give him a chance as a middle reliever, given his past success with the Yankees.
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