The Yankees made it a priority to bolster their bullpen ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. They acquired David Bednar from the Pirates, Camilo Doval from the Giants, and Jake Bird from the Rockies, with general manager Brian Cashman hoping that those moves would be enough to push the Yankees into the promised land.

Unfortunately, the trade deadline trio didn't help put New York over the top, with each arm leaving much to be desired. Those struggles bled into the 2026 campaign, leaving the Yankees looking for bullpen help less than two months before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. It's a need that can't be ignored if the Big Apple is to see its first title since 2009.

Although Bednar and Doval have slowly put things together in recent weeks, the same can't be said about Bird, who's proving that he's still as much of a bullpen concern as he was last fall.

Yankees should be nearing breaking point with Jake Bird

Bird's time with the Yankees in 2025 was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it experience.

After arriving at the end of July, the ex-Rockies reliever surrendered a whopping six earned runs and two homers on four hits in four innings over two starts, resulting in a 27.00 ERA. Was it a small sample size? Yes, but it was enough for manager Aaron Boone to option Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre about a week after the trade. Although he was recalled in September, he didn't pitch a single postseason inning.

Admittedly, Bird looked fresh to start the 2026 campaign, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings with a win and a hold in his first four appearances. The apparent turnaround didn't last long, though, as he pitched to a 13.50 ERA in the next six games (4 2/3 innings), which included two blown saves and a loss. A 1.23 ERA and four holds in 10 games (7 1/3 innings) in the first three weeks of May were nice, but his latest stretch shows that the time for bouncing back is over.

In his last six games before Monday's day off, Bird has pitched to an uninspiring 7.71 ERA over 4 2/3 innings. He's allowed four earned runs and a pair of HRs on seven hits, also showing a lack of command with three walks and even hitting one batter with a pitch. He most recently blew another save against the Blue Jays on Sunday, bringing his total to three on the year.

For reference, the Royals' Lucas Erceg leads the majors with five blown saves this season, showing how close Bird is to tying the unfortunate honor. He's also up to a 5.14 ERA and 1.429 WHIP after 27 games (21 innings), and that's without mentioning how opponents are batting .273 vs. his sinker ball (second-most frequent pitch) or the absurd .833 slugging rate he's allowing on his curveball, per Baseball Savant.

So, what can the Yankees do about this problem?

Yankees have no shortage of options to replace Jake Bird

With no end in sight for his struggles, it's time for the Yankees to consider turning the page on Bird once and for all. It's hard to imagine another team willing to trade for the 30-year-old righty's struggling arm, meaning it's likelier that they'll either option Bird to Triple-A (he still has options remaining) or designate him for assignment.

Once Bird is out of the picture, regardless of how or when, the Yankees have a few options waiting in the wings. Top prospect Carlos Lagrange was recently moved to the RailRiders' bullpen and could be a threat to join the big leagues soon. Yovanny Cruz is also on the 40-man roster and has already pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for New York earlier this season.

And as previously mentioned, the trade deadline is only seven weeks away. There will be plenty of selling clubs looking to trade their bullpen arms in favor of prospects, and the Yankees won't have a shortage of targets. The Cardinals' Riley O'Brien, the Royals' David Lynch IV, and the Marlins' Pete Fairbanks are just some of the potential targets already discussed by the Yankees on SI's staff in the last month.

The best relievers on the market won't be available forever, meaning the Yankees need to act fast if they want to bolster their bullpen before August. Addition by subtraction can help them make progress towards that goal, and that can happen by washing their hands of Bird once and for all.

Bird is the word, but another two seem more fitting for this situation: time's up.