DALLAS— On the final day of the Winter Meetings, the Yankees managed to keep one of their free-agent relievers from joining the Mets.

Jonathan Loaisiga, an injury-prone right-hander, re-signed with the Yankees for the upcoming season, as reported Wednesday night by ESPN.com’s Jorge Castillo.

Earlier in the day, Levi Luna of TN8 television in Managua, Nicaragua, posted on X that Loaisiga and the Yankees were “close to a deal.”

In a text to NJ Advance Media, Luna speculated that the agreement includes $5 million for 2025 with a $5 million club option for 2026.

In November, Loaisiga received an offer from the Mets for a two-year, $6 million contract with a $11 million option. The Yankees made an offer on Monday, the day after Soto turned down their 16-year, $760 million deal to sign with the Mets for $765 million over 15 years, because he wanted more money and had not received any other offers.

Last April, 30 year old Loaisiga underwent season-ending internal brace surgery to fix a ruptured UCL in his pitching elbow. He is expected to start throwing off the mound again in January after picking it up last month. By May, he anticipates being prepared to rejoin the major leagues.

Loaisiga’s deal with the Yankees would not be finalized until he passed a physical.

Loaisiga has also been a target for the Padres and Blue Jays, but neither team has made an offer.

In 2021, Loaisiga pitched to a 2.17 ERA across 57 appearances, making him one of the major leagues’ top setup relievers for the Yankees. He pitched for the Yankees from 2018 to 24 and finished his career 19-11 with a 3.44 ERA in 163 games, all but 11 of which were as a reliever.

Following Max Fried’s massive deal with the Yankees, this free-agent pitcher is expected to command a hefty price.

As the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings draw to a close, they were excellent. The floodgates opened when Juan Soto earned one of the biggest contracts in Major League Baseball history with the New York Mets.

Other teams vying for his services were able to shift their focus to their secondary targets after he made his decision. Most notably, the Yankees made a reported offer of $760 million over 16 years in an attempt to entice Soto back.

The way that Soto’s family was handled by Yankees stadium employees and the front office’s refusal to include a family suite in his contract, however, caused considerable controversy. The Mets were prepared to make the sacrifice and signed Soto to a 15-year contract worth $765 million, with the possibility of an extension to $800 million due to contract escalators.

The Yankees probably took this hard because they hired former Braves star Max Fried less than 48 hours later, putting the Soto scandal behind them. Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yanks, which was the fourth-biggest contract in MLB history and the largest ever given to a left-handed pitcher.

For free agents with long histories, this offseason has been excellent. This features Nathan Eovaldi, Blake Snell, and Fried, among other elite free agency pitchers. One well-known name is still available, though: Corbin Burnes.

Following Max Fried’s record-breaking contract with the Yankees, Corbin Burnes could land a huge deal.
Burnes will surely anticipate something similar given Fried’s enormous contract. This offseason, Burnes was expected to earn more than Fried. Tim Britton of The Athletic predicted that the new Yankees southpaw would sign a six-year deal worth $180 million.

Burnes has an estimated seven-year contract for $217 million. Fried was given $38 million more than anticipated and an additional year. No one has any reason to doubt that Corbin Burnes will be awarded a sum greater than anyone could have imagined.

So far this offseason, he has been connected to the Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Giants, and Mets, among other organizations. Any of these teams could be able to provide Burnes with the kind of contract he wants.

Burnes has attracted a lot of attention for a reason. Last season, the California native was ranked 10th in strikeouts, fourth in ERA, and third in innings in the American League. He was particularly dominant in the O’s Wild Card round loss to the Royals, and he had his fourth consecutive All-Star performance.

Teams should only be concerned about Burnes’ ability to maintain his health and the effectiveness of his cutter. The opponent’s batting average rose from.209 in 2023 to.251 this season, indicating that batters fared substantially better against the pitch in 2024 than in prior years.

Boston may not be fully committed to pursuing the ace right-hander at this time, especially after their recent blockbuster trade for left-handed flamethrower Garrett Crochet. According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the Giants and Blue Jays have been the “most aggressive” in their pursuit, even though Boston has made an offer.

Feinsand identifies Toronto as the leading contender for Burnes, stating, “If Toronto — which is set to lose Chris Bassitt after next season and Kevin Gausman after 2026 — is ready to invest heavily in an ace, Burnes could be their best and final option.”

Burnes is, in fact, the greatest choice left, and it might really benefit him. Burnes could receive a sizable offer from San Francisco, although they recently signed Willy Adames to a long-term contract. As a result, they might be reluctant to outbid the Jays.

Although the Dodgers and Mets are the two teams most reportedly interested in Burnes, supporters are well aware that they might intervene at any time and make him an irresistible offer. Even while it’s doubtful, there are also dark horse teams, like the Braves, that work in the background and have the potential to surprise everyone.