Yankees Have New Bullpen Target

After making a pair of infield upgrades by acquiring Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario from the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals, respectively, pitching has become the New York Yankees' main priority before the July 31 trade deadline.

With right-handers Mark Leiter Jr. and Francisco Cruz on the injured list, the Yankees' bullpen has thinned out and scuffled to the tune of a 6.78 ERA since July 1, which is the second-worst mark in the league over that period.

New York has been connected to some of the top names on the market, but with a need for middle relievers, The Athletic's Brendan Kuty has also reported that the club has expressed interest in Rockies right-hander Jake Bird.

"A name to add to the ever-growing list of candidates they have reportedly been eyeing, according to league sources: righty Jake Bird of the Rockies," Kuty wrote.

"Several Yankees came away impressed with Bird when he had two appearances against them in Colorado in late May, one player told The Athletic. The 29-year-old has the strikeout ability (10.5 per nine innings) that the Yankees surely would appreciate. Going into Saturday, Bird also had a 4.05 ERA (but also a 3.09 FIP) in 44 appearances. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season, and it’s unclear how willing the Rockies would be to part with him if he could be part of future success."

Bird is among the lone bright spots in a Colorado bullpen that has posted the third-worst ERA of any unit in baseball at 5.05, which isn't particularly surprising since they play half their games at Coors Field.

In 44 outings and 53 1/3 innings this season, Bird has logged a 4.05 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 10.46 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.54 walks per nine.

The 29-year-old's sweeper and curveball are his two most effective pitches, generating Run Values of three and four, respectively, according to Baseball Savant. Bird is adept at limiting hard contact as well, evidenced by an average exit velocity against him of just 88.0 mph (81st percentile) and a barrel rate of 6.2 percent (79th percentile).

His home and road splits this year are a bit of an anomaly, however, as he's put up a 2.48 ERA in 29 innings at Coors Field and a 5.92 ERA over 24 1/3 frames away from Denver.

Bird still has two minor league options left and is under team control through the 2028 campaign, perhaps boosting his value. He still shouldn't cost an exorbitant price, however, and he'd fit perfectly within the Yankees' bullpen.

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