Yankees’ Trade Deadline Predictions: 2 moves to restock barren pitching staff

COL Receives: 2B Roc Riggio and RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported last night that the Yankees are interested in Rockies’ reliever Jake Bird, and he fits the mold of pitcher that Brian Cashman likes to target at the trade deadline.

He’s not the flashy headline-grabbing name that Jhoan Duran is, but he provides a good amount of whiffs and tons of groundballs, with the 4.05 ERA being a mirage.

Not only is that mark still 16% better than average when adjusting for park environments, but he sports a 3.09 FIP and 3.34 xERA as well.

Bird has a .352 BABIP allowed which is inflated by the Rockies’ league-worst defense according to Defensive Runs Saved (-61), and also inflated by his home ballpark.

People might be worried about his performance away from Coors Field this season, but it’s likely that the changing pitch shapes as he goes back and forth from high altitude is affecting that, and if he pitched for the Yankees I wouldn’t be worried.

He’s also coming from a bottom-of-the-barrel development organization for pitching to one of the best; his already dynamic repertoire could get even better in the Bronx.

Jake Bird’s 116 Stuff+ is the highest single-season mark for any Rockies’ pitcher since the metric was first tracked in 2020, meaning his pitch mix is ridiculously nasty.

Yankees Land Groundball Machine From Cardinals In Three-Player Swap

STL Receives: C Rafael Flores and RHP Ben Hess

With a year and a half of control left, the St. Louis Cardinals probably wouldn’t shut the door on trade talks for LHP JoJo Romero, who has quietly been one of the best southpaws in baseball.

His 2.12 ERA and 52.9% GB% would provide a nice addition to the bullpen, making Tim Hill the second-best lefty in their reliever group which is a brilliant reflection of their newfound depth.

Romero is in the 93rd Percentile in xERA (2.75) due to a dominant sinker-slider combination that can pick up whiffs or induce soft contact on the ground.

His changeup is nasty against right-handed batters, and he can mix in a four-seamer at the top of the zone as well to keep righties honest.

The Yankees would suddenly boast an elite bullpen, as when they get Fernando Cruz back, they would have six late-inning options who can reliably get outs and deliver clean outings.

Luke Weaver needs to get things rolling, but his stuff and command are starting to get back to normal, while Tim Hill and Devin Williams have been dominant since June 1st.

Fernando Cruz had been the team’s best strikeout arm, and the combination of Jake Bird and JoJo Romero provide groundballs and whiffs to the backend of the bullpen.

If the rotation can import Luis Gil and Ryan Yarbrough from the injured list, they could push someone such as Will Warren into a bullpen role, and Jack Curry of YES Network hinted at Cam Schlittler being able to do so as well.

Ryan Yarbrough sliding back to the bullpen could happen as well, a role where he can provide long relief or get some tough outs with that nasty changeup.

These two moves wouldn’t qualify as “making headlines”, but in combination with what they did for their infield and bench, it directly addresses the Yankees’ needs and puts them in prime position to go on a deep playoff run.