TAMPA — Jake Bird is well aware that he made a poor first impression with the Yankees.
It was actually a disastrous one, as the reliever played a huge part in two losses quickly after being traded by the Rockies on July 31 last year. The first came on Aug. 1, when Bird recorded just one out while allowing a grand slam in his Yankees debut in Miami. Then, after bouncing back for a scoreless inning on Aug. 2, the right-hander surrendered a walk-off homer against the Rangers in Texas on Aug. 4.
The following day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A. He spent the rest of the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“Obviously, it didn’t go very well,” Bird said.
Now Bird is in Yankees camp trying to prove that he’s worthy of a spot in the bullpen.
He showed glimpses of that last season, recording a 1.41 ERA with 50 strikeouts over his first 38.1 innings with the Rockies. But his career in Denver ended much like his Yankees career began, as Bird permitted 22 earned runs over his final 15 innings for Colorado.
“It was a really weird change in performance level, like very quick, and I kind of tried to figure it out,” Bird said. “I wasn’t really able to.”
Aaron Boone recently said that the Rockies “overworked” Bird, contributing to his struggles before and after the trade. There’s something to that, as the pitcher totaled 53.1 innings and 45 games before being dealt, as well as 16 appearances that exceeded one inning.
“He probably had a little wear and tear on him in the middle of the season that took its toll,” Boone said. “He was used a lot in that first half in Colorado.”
Bird didn’t want to say for sure if his usage sabotaged the beginning of his Yankees tenure, but he did find some silver linings in the nightmarish introduction.
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself. The Yankees’ pitching department, meanwhile, helped Bird better understand his body, funky mechanics and arsenal after leaving the not-so-analytically-inclined Rockies.
A look at Jake Bird’s funky mechanics, and a successful challenge from Oswaldo Cabrera against umpire Aaron Boone. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/cQN8ew9cc3
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) February 16, 2026
That education included a revamp of Bird’s cutter following his demotion, which he showed off while tallying 15 pitches, a hit and a strikeout over one scoreless inning in the Yankees’ spring training opener on Friday.
Bird said he altered the shape of the pitch to get more ride. He also added some velocity so that it better resembles the speed of his four-seam fastball before darting on hitters, especially lefties.
Those tweaks produced a cutter that had a 41.2 Whiff% at Triple-A last year.
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said that Bird also adjusted the profile of his sinker.
Add those changes to a sweeper (33.8%), curveball (38%) and heater (50%) that already had high whiff rates, and the Yankees have reason to believe that Bird can be a weapon for them in 2026 if he improves his command.
“I think he has a chance to play a real meaningful role for us,” Boone said, adding that “the stuff is nasty.”
That said, Bird is not a lock to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. He has a minor league option, giving the pinstripers some flexibility, and plenty of competition in a bullpen that has two open spots and few sure things. Others vying for those jobs include, but are not limited to, Brent Headrick, Angel Chivilli, Yerry De los Santos and Cade Winquest.
But Bird, still waiting to pitch in Yankee Stadium for the first time, believes he is in a much better place than he was after last summer’s trade. He’s eager to prove that not only to the Yankees, but to their fans as well.
“I feel like I can really flip that script and have ideas on how to carry it over for a full 162 games, plus in October,” Bird said, nodding to his heavy workload in Colorado. “I’m hoping they get to know me a lot this year and moving on over the next few years.
“Hopefully, it’s all good stuff.”
