Why the Yankees Need to Move on from Greg Bird

As good as Greg Bird is, he’s useless when on the disabled list. Unfortunately, that’s where he’s spent most of the last two years. Perhaps it’s time the New York Yankees move on from their talented first baseman.

Greg Bird is undoubtedly an incredible talent. Before being called up by the New York Yankees in August 2015, there was a lot of high praise leading up to the young first baseman’s debut.

Scouts and General Managers alike raved about the ex-catcher turned first baseman. They loved his veteran-like approach at the plate, amazing ability to work the count and take walks, and his ability to use all parts of the field while displaying some power as well. Aside from his hitting ability, Bird has also put a lot of time and effort into becoming a reliable defender at first base, enabling him to become an all-around player.

The problem that has haunted Bird in his last two seasons at the big league level is his inability to stay healthy. There is cause for concern about his durability to stay healthy during a 162 game season.

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A slick fielding, power hitting first baseman is essential to the success of any great team looking for postseason and championship success. This, however, is the problem that the Yankees have to deal with.

Yes, Greg Bird is young and he has tremendous upside. But do you keep waiting, wondering if the Greg Bird that put up eight home runs, 16 extra-base hits, .556 OBP, 1.098 SLG, and 1.654 OPS during the 2017 spring training campaign can translate that into a demanding full season while a big name first baseman such as Eric Hosmer hits free agency this offseason?

The last thing the Yankees need is for Hosmer to leave Kansas City for greener pastures in Boston, looking to add to his trophy collection. He would be adding to a young, formidable, extremely scary Red Sox lineup that’s already bound to battle it out with the Yankees for AL East supremacy for the next five to ten years.

Instead, the Yankees can make a move that might hurt many Yankees fan at first but provide the greatest return in the end. If the Yankees landed Eric Hosmer, they would get a highly touted lefty bat, a proven winner, and one of the most clutch regular season and postseason hitters in the game. Hosmer is a perennial All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover, and a power-hitting first baseman with a very high walk rate and very low strikeout rate.

The most important thing to consider will be that for his age, Hosmer brings with him Championship experience that the young Yankees will need in their quest to bring World Series Title No. 28 to the Bronx.

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Meanwhile, by getting rid of Greg Bird, the Yankees could add to their plethora of young prospects by trading him for a young starting pitcher. Bird would get a fresh start with an opportunity to go to a team in need of a young first baseman with a bright future.

If that isn’t convincing enough, signing Eric Hosmer to prevent him from going to Boston should be enough incentive for Brian Cashman to start drawing up the contract now.

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