Major League Baseball is often a fast-paced sport, which means the calendar can sometimes blend together.
While the MLB trade deadline has passed, it’s important to keep tabs on players that organizations have traded away and see how they are doing with their new MLB teams. Looking at the New York Yankees today, one of the biggest trades they made was a five-player deal that landed Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals.
In that Garcia Jr. trade, the Yankees traded away relief pitcher Jake Bird. On Tuesday evening, the Nationals decided to make a notable roster decision with Bird.
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Ex-Yankees Pitcher Jake Bird Optioned by Nationals
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 04: Jake Bird #59 of the New York Yankees pitches during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on July 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
Following the Washington Nationals contest against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, the team is recalling pitcher Luis Perales to make his MLB debut.
As a result, the team optioned Jake Bird to Triple-A Rochester.
CBSSports.com’s RotoWire staff wrote (on 8/25):
“Bird pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday, bringing his ERA down to 5.35 through 38.2 innings on the season, but the Nationals will send him down to Rochester in preparation for Luis Perales’ arrival to the majors Wednesday. Bird could still return to Washington later in the year to provide the parent club with a fresh arm, but he likely would be limited to middle-relief duty.”
As they note, it’s very plausible to think that Bird will be recalled at some point during the year.
Since being traded from the Yankees to the Nats, Bird has pitched 8.1 innings to the tune of a 3.24 ERA (three earned runs).
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Jake Bird’s Tenure in the Bronx
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 02: Jake Bird #59 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during their game at Yankee Stadium on May 02, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
After a four-year stint with the Rockies from 2022 to 2025, Jake Bird pitched with the New York Yankees in parts of two seasons (2025, 2026).
Across 39 total appearances and 32+ innings pitched, Bird wasn’t very effective for the Yanks, as he posted an ERA of 7.24 with 35 strikeouts and a pWAR of -1.0 while in the Bronx.
Bird’s ERA+ over his stretch with the Yankees was 59, which is 41% below league average for a pitcher in MLB.
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