The New York Yankees on Friday traded veteran catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson. The Yankees have announced the trade.
Trevino, 32, goes to Cincy coming off a season in which he batted .215/.288/.354 with eight home runs in 73 games as Austin Wells’ backup. For his career, Trevino owns an OPS+ of 75 across parts of seven MLB seasons, the last three of which have been with the Yankees. While Trevino isn’t a very productive hitter, he’s a defensive plus behind the plate when it comes to blocking wayward pitches and pitch framing. In 2022, he won his first and only Gold Glove. With the Reds, Trevino figures to be Tyler Stephenson’s backup. Trevino will be eligible for free agency following the 2025 season.
On the Yankees’ side of things, the 34-year-old Cruz brings with him a career ERA of 4.52 and an FIP of 3.06 in three seasons. Likely, the Yankees are betting Cruz can be a useful bullpen contributor because of that impressive FIP, which in part reflects his excellent strikeout numbers — 228 strikeouts in 147 1/3 career innings. As well, Cruz boasts a tremendous wipeout pitch with his splitter against which big-league hitters have been helpless. Last season, he threw the pitch a bit more than 40% of the time, and there’s an opportunity to lean into the pitch even more with the Yankees. The Yankees are adept at helping relievers level up, and Cruz seems to have the basic ingredients to do just that.
As for Jackson, who turns 29 on Christmas Day, he has an OPS+ of 27 in 340 plate appearances spread across parts of five big-league seasons.
