By the end of the New York Yankees' 2025 season, the mid-season trade they made for right-handed reliever Jake Bird became an afterthought.
Bird started the season with the Colorado Rockies but ended with the Yankees, allowing six earned runs and two home runs in three appearances before a demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He is under control through the 2029 season, so the Yankees clearly saw something they like about Bird's pitch arsenal. Bird throws a hefty dose of sinkers and sweepers, but mixes in a cutter, curveball, and four-seam fastball.
Bird can be the Yankees' 'secret weapon'
After finishing last season in the minors, there's no guarantee that Bird breaks camp with the Yankees out of spring training.
But Empire Sports Media's Alexander Wilson wrote Sunday that the Yankees have a plan to increase his effectiveness.
"The Yankees’ plan for 2026 involves simplifying Bird’s attack. The goal is to prioritize the sinker low in the zone to get ahead in counts and then utilizing his slider more aggressively as a chase pitch off the plate," Wilson wrote.
"By reducing the usage of his less effective offerings and focusing on his two best weapons, the Yankees believe they can turn his raw “stuff” into consistent outs."
New York has made just one notable bullpen addition this winter, selecting Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft from the St. Louis Cardinals. If they make no further additions, which is unlikely, Bird will play a pivotal mid-relief role.
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