Does nobody want Greg Bird?

Back in November, the Yankees finally cut the cord on Greg Bird. Lord knows, they had tried. The guy logged 35 at-bats last year, 10 games, with six hits and a HR. The previous year, he hit .199. And the year before that - gulp - .190. He ruled March, looked like the Second Coming of Mark Grace, and won starting jobs on opening day. Then, poof, the dogs would start barking.

Bird had bum tootsies. Anything that could go wrong, it went south. Ankles, arches, bunions, heels, hoofs, insteps, nails, pads, sole, toes - whatever. If something could tweak, it twoked. (He also tore a shoulder, at one point.) And once Bird hit the Jacuzzi, you couldn't get him out with a fire drill. Weeks turned into months. A lost cause. Bad wheels. End of story. And yet...

When the Yankees punted on Bird, in advance of the December draft, I had a sinking sense that they'd made a mistake. Bird was no Gold Glove at 1B, but he looked more comfortable than Luke Voit or Mike Ford, the two platoon bookends most likely to play that position in 2020. And once again, you wondered if Bird could reclaim the magic of 2015, when he hit 11 home runs in 46 games.

Even now, I wonder why Bird remains an unsigned free agent. If nobody in baseball wants to take a flier on him, why wouldn't the Yankees give it one more go? Last we heard, the San Francisco Giants were rumored to be interested. 

Bird is 27, one year younger than Voit, the same age as Ford. I suppose there is no cause for the Yankees to try again. And they have a recent history of trying out first-basemen, who then succeed with other teams. (Ji-Man Choi last year with Tampa, and before him, Steve Pearce with Boston.) 

Pitchers and catchers report in 11 days. Between now and then, somebody out there will take a chance on Greg Bird. I have a feeling, they'll be pleasantly surprised - unless, that is, he gets a taste of their Jacuzzi.