The New York Yankees made contract decisions on two relievers for the 2026 season, exercising left-hander Tim Hill's $3 million club option and declining right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga's $5 million club option, the team announced Wednesday.
Hill, 35, has been a steady contributor for the Yankees since signing with the team in June of 2024, posting a 2.68 ERA in 105 games across his two seasons in New York.
A groundball specialist with a funky sidearm delivery, Hill's 70 relief appearances in 2025 led the Yankees and were tied for ninth among left-handers across the majors. No other left-hander made more than 17 relief appearances for New York. He finished second among all qualified relievers with a 64.8% groundball rate while his 13.8% strikeout rate ranked 48th out of the 48 qualifiers.
Loaisiga, whose career has been marred by injuries in recent seasons, signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the club option for 2026 last offseason after missing nearly the entire 2024 campaign following surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
He returned to the Yankees' bullpen in May and struggled across 30 appearances before missing the season's final two months with a flexor strain. The 30-year-old Nicaraguan posted a 4.25 ERA across his 29â…” innings. He has pitched in just 50 games over the past three seasons.
Loaisiga joins Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Blackburn as Yankees pitchers to reach free agency this week.
