So much for the idea that the New York Yankees would stand pat or even sell at the MLB trade deadline.
Brian Cashman was among the busiest executives ahead of the Thursday 6 p.m. ET deadline, and just adding veteran David Bednar apparently wasn’t enough. According to YES Network’s Jack Curry, New York swung another deal before the buzzer, landing relief pitcher Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies.
The Yankees sent two minor leaguers — second baseman Roc Riggio and pitcher Ben Shields — to Colorado, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Bird might not be a household name, but he’s put together a decent season in Colorado. The 29-year-old has appeared in 45 games for the historically bad Rockies, posting a 4.73 ERA in 53 1/3 innings pitched.
His FIP is much lower, however, at 3.45 and his ERA should improve by a) getting away the notoriously thin air at Coors Field and b) playing for a much, much better team.
He’s also figured out something with his repertoire and pitch use that has led to more missed bats. Bird has struck out 62 batters this season, averaging a career-best 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. One year after walking nearly six batters per nine innings, he’s reduced that number to 3.9 for this season.
He has started throwing a sweeper this season, and it’s now his favorite pitch, throwing it nearly 40% of the time. That has come at the expense of a slider, so it might be a slight semantical thing, but either way, opposing hitters are hitting just .262 with a .188 expected batting average against the pitch. He’s almost completely abandoned his four-seamer and cutter, and now it’s mostly just the sweeper, curveball and sinker.
Keeping the ball on the ground should benefit him with a revamped Yankees infield that now includes Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario.
The Yankees might not be done yet, either. They were talking to the Miami Marlins about pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Anthony Bender, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
More MLB: Mets Reportedly Trade For Orioles’ All-Star, Silver Slugger Award Winner
The post Yankees Reportedly Add Intriguing Reliever In Trade With Rockies appeared first on Newsweek.
