The New York Yankees already made two trades before this Thursday’s deadline, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and utility infielder Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals.
Now, their attention may turn to their struggling bullpen, which has had a 5.30 ERA since June 13, going into Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. At the moment, Luke Weaver, Tim Hill, and closer Devin Williams are New York’s most trusted bullpen options.
Even after completing one deal with the Rockies, Colorado may have additional players that could help the Yankees down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason.
Yankees Intrigued by Rockies’ 4.05 ERA Reliever
According to sources close to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, the New York Yankees front office has shown interest in Colorado Rockies right-handed reliever 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 Sunday.
“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 wonât be a free agent until after the 2028 season, and itâs unclear how willing the Rockies would be to part with him if he could be part of future success.”
Bird primarily throws a sweeper and sinker, and opposing batters have hit just .205 against his curveball in 2025, a pitch he throws 23 percent of the time. As Kuty mentioned, Bird does not reach free agency until 2028, meaning he could play a pivotal role in New York’s bullpen this season and in future years.
The State of the Yankees
Due to injuries, the New York Yankees are without several of their key arms in the bullpen.
“The Yankeesâ bullpen will get a boost soon from several returning arms,” wrote Kuty. “Mark Leiter Jr. (fibular head stress fracture) and Fernando Cruz (oblique strain) are on the mend, and Yerry De Los Santos recently returned from the injured list. The Yankees traded reliever Clayton Beeter as part of the Rosario deal, sapping some of their depth.”
Beeter, once a top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, made just five appearances with the Yankees from 2024 to 2025, allowing eight earned runs with six strikeouts in 7.1 innings.
Despite the Yankees’ recent trades for McMahon and Rosario, does the front office consider the roster a World Series favorite, and would adding Bird display their intentions to compete for a title this season?
“The Yankees (57-48) currently sit 5 1/2 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, and just 1 1/2 games up in the wild-card standings,” wrote Kuty. “Does the front office still consider the roster upgradable enough to return to the World Series? Or just enough to squeak into the playoffs?”
Bird may not turn out to be the missing piece that projects the Yankees to be World Series contenders, but it may be a step in the right direction for a club whose bullpen appears to be the weakest part of the roster.
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