Red Sox Free Agency Wish List: Jonathan Loáisiga Would Add A Much-Needed Workhorse to the Bullpen

One of the biggest reasons why the Boston Red Sox were able to recover from their dreadful start to the season was the strength of their bullpen, which remained consistent throughout the campaign. The Red Sox's relief corps finished the year leading the majors in xFIP with 3.78 and ranked second in fWAR with 8.9, but what made the big difference was their ability to bounce back time and time again.

The challenge was more complicated than it seems, as the team finished the season with the highest number of games in which the pitching staff received 0-2 runs of support. There were 52 games that fit that description, the highest number in any season of this decade for the franchise.

In 2026, the Red Sox finished with a 3-32 record when the team was unable to score more than two runs, leaving the average for these last five seasons at 30.2% in games of that type. The challenge Boston has had to face with this trend of stretches in which the offense seems to disappear and the pitching staff has to carry the greatest weight of the responsibilities is clear. This is one of the reasons why I still believe the Red Sox should continue thinking about strengthening their bullpen even further, adding a couple of arms capable of providing depth and durability.

The Red Sox concentrated the largest workload of its relief innings in four arms who combined to pitch 58% of the bullpen’s innings, led by Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. However, there was only one pitcher who demonstrated the ability to work with just one day of rest in more than a third of his appearances. That reliever was Greg Weissert, who made 25 of his 63 appearances with just one day of rest and finished with a 3.51 ERA in those games.

Whitlock (17 relief appearances) and Chapman (15) were much more effective in those outings, recording ERAs of 0.53 and 0.60, respectively, but they weren't relied on heavily with limited or no rest. Thus, adding another reliever like right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, with the ability to offer stability and durability, could be a great help to the bullpen.

Loáisiga, 32, pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2026, but he knows the American League East Division well, as he spent the first eight years of his career as a reliever for the New York Yankees. By the way, during that span, Loáisiga pitched to a 2.17 ERA in 23 relief appearances against the Red Sox and recorded his best K/BB (6.00) against any division opponent. He also has a 1.16 ERA in 21 relief appearances against the Tampa Bay Rays, which contributed to his finishing with a 9-5 record and a 2.85 ERA in 85 appearances against AL East rivals.

Loáisiga posted a strong season in 2026, pitching to a 3.53 xFIP in 67 innings, his best mark since 2021, when he accumulated 2.4 fWAR in what could be considered the best season of his career with New York. It is true that his strikeout rates have declined and he just finished in the 22nd percentile in K%, but that has never been Loáisiga’s style; he is not the typical pitcher who survives thanks to whiffs, but he is still capable of limiting hard contact, generating ground balls, and making hitters chase outside the zone.

After overcoming a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury that took him out of action last year, Loáisiga improved his average fastball velocity from 96.7 to 97.6 mph, but much of the credit belongs to his command and the movement of his pitches. Loáisiga is projected by Steamer to accumulate a 3.67 xFIP in 2027, a mark that is in the range of this year’s 3.53. In addition, an improvement in his strikeout rate is expected, although he is projected to issue more walks and see his ground-ball rate decline a little.

After his comeback season, Loáisiga is likely to be open to hearing multi-year proposals, with most outlets projecting him to earn an AAV around $7 million. Among all the relievers available on the free-agent market, Loáisiga could be a useful piece for teams like the Red Sox, as he has the ability to handle large workloads, with a profile very similar to Weissert’s. He demonstrated it by making 20 relief appearances with just one day of rest in 2026, pitching to a 1.86 ERA in those games.

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