Jake Bird had been in the middle of his second season with the New York Yankees.
He was most recently with the SWB RailRiders (Triple-A) after getting demoted earlier this month.
Bird is currently 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA in 36 MLB games this year.
The Yankees wrote (via X) on July 19: “• Optioned RHP Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.”
On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Yankees had made a big trade with the Washington Nationals to acquire Luis García Jr.
Bird was among the players sent to Washington in the deal.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote: “The Nationals will receive RHP Ben Grable, RHP Yovanny Cruz, RHP Jack Cebert and RHP Jake Bird from the Yankees for Garcia, per source.”
Bird had been in the middle of a Triple-A game at the time of the trade.
Jason Kempf (who works for the Iowa Cubs) wrote: “Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had just put Jake Bird into the game here in Des Moines when the staff must have found out he was part of the trade to Washington. They slow played a couple at-bats to let a reliever warm and then pulled him. He was out to pitch the ninth.”
Looking At Bird
GettyJake Bird #59 of the New York Yankees celebrates after getting the final out of the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 04, 2026 in New York City, New York.
Bird was picked in the 5th round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
He spent the first 3.5 seasons of his career with the Colorado Rockies.
The 30-year-old had been traded to New York during the middle of the 2025 season.
The Yankees wrote (via X) on July 31, 2025: “The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league infielder Roc Riggio and left-handed pitcher Ben Shields.”
GettyPitcher Jake Bird #59 of the Colorado Rockies throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning at Coors Field on June 19, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.
Bird has gone 12-12 with a 4.90 ERA in 227 career MLB games.
He could be a good addition to the Nationals for pitching depth.
Max Mannis of Jomboy Media wrote: “Yankees traded for three relievers last deadline: David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird. A year later, only one is left in the organization, but I’d say they did pretty well with him.”
A year later, only one is left in the organization, but I’d say they did pretty well with him.
Yankees Right Now
The Yankees are the second-place team in the American League East with a 63-49 record in 112 games.
They will host the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.
New York Yankees Trade Demoted 5-Year MLB Player To Nationals