Why Greg Bird Rejoined The Yankees After Blue Jays Spring Training

BUFFALO, N.Y.— In the final days of spring training, Greg Bird learned he wasn’t making the Blue Jays' big league club. Even still, Bird thought he’d found a new baseball home.

After a strong spring training, the lefty was one of Toronto's final cuts and utilized an opt-out in his minor-league deal to hit the open market. When no big-league deals materialized, Bird was happy to stick with the Jays, he said, and was set to re-join Toronto's organization as a next-man-up with the Triple A Bisons. Then, his old squad came calling.

“I was gonna go back [to Toronto],” Bird said. “But then this came up. All that stuff happens fast, there was some other interest, but it was really only [the Jays] and Yankees.”

At the end of spring, situations change by the hour, Bird said, and he ultimately chose to rejoin the Yankees on a minor-league deal because of the MLB opportunity. With New York breaking spring camp with 12 hitters, the first basemen saw an easier path back to the bigs. The path looked clearer than sitting in Triple A behind "an MVP first basemen," Bird said, but he appreciated his time with Toronto, nonetheless.

“I loved it there, I'm not gonna lie," Bird said. "It's a first-class organization, everything they're doing seems spot on. They got a plan, they want to win, they're invested. The whole player development staff was great, everyone was great. I just felt like this was a better opportunity to get back to the big leagues."

With two men on in Friday’s Bisons vs. RailRiders game, Bird turned back toward the road dugout and spun his bat in celebration. Connecting on a second-pitch slider, Bird watched the ball soar over the right-field wall for his second homer of the season.

The first basemen posted a .958 OPS in 11 games for the Jays in spring training, and felt like he got better at the plate, he said. The 29-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2019 but hopes his bat can carry him back—with the Yankees, Jays, or wherever the opportunity comes.

"Thanks to Toronto for helping me out," Bird said, "for giving me an opportunity."