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The New York Yankees, like most teams, will finalize their bullpen for this season in spring training. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone have plenty of options, and they'll get a better look over the next few weeks.
Roster decisions could come down to the final few games of spring training, but the Yankees have their eyes on certain players to get those spots. According to Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty, struggling reliever Jake Bird is projected to get the last bullpen spot.
"We’re projecting Bird to be the final bullpen arm because the Yankees have always liked his stuff," they wrote for The Athletic on Monday. "It was a disastrous start for Bird after the club acquired him at the trade deadline last season, but the Yankees did not stop believing in his ability."
The Yankees acquired Bird from the Colorado Rockies at the trade deadline last summer. After he struggled early in his time in the Bronx, New York optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The hope is that he was able to hit the reset button in the offseason and become the pitcher the Yankees expected him to be last season.
“He is a guy we can rely upon this year,” pitching coach Matt Blake told The Athletic. “We just got to see it. It was an exciting acquisition for us, and it just didn’t pan out in the short term. But we have a long-range vision for him. He should have a successful time with us.”
Bird will need a good spring training to secure that final spot in the bullpen for the Bronx Bombers. However, it appears the organization will give him every chance possible to earn it.