The New York Yankees continued their active offseason on Friday night, trading catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds. Righty reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson came back to New York in the deal, with the Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman collectively reporting both deal and terms.
Jose Trevino traded to Reds
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 21, 2024
Yankees have traded Jose Trevino to the Reds for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson with @JonHeyman
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 21, 2024
Trevino figures to slot in as the backup in Cincinnati, behind starting catcher Tyler Stephenson. The Reds are getting quite the player in Jose Trevino, who blossomed into an All-Star in New York. He took home a Gold Glove with 21 defensive runs saved (DRS) in 2022 and was also an All-Star.
However, between injuries and Austin Wells’ emergence, Trevino was running out of at-bats in the Bronx. He won’t overtake the starting role from Stephenson in Cincy, but should still find a significant role under new manager Terry Francona.
The Yankees, meanwhile, played to one of their ongoing strengths: Their bullpen. Cruz is on the older side at 34, but only debuted two years ago after 15 years in the minors. He posted 14.7 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) last season and though he owns a 4.52 career ERA with the Reds, his FIP is an astounding 3.07.
As to pitches, Cruz offers three: A Splitter, four-seam fastball, and cutter. The splitter, obviously, is his out-pitch.
Now, consider the Yankees’ bullpen ranked 14th in 2024 with 9.15 K/9. The relief corps needs both arms and strikeouts, and both were taken care of when the Yankees acquired Devin Williams from the Brewers earlier this month.
But every strong closer needs a strong bridge leading to them, and Fernando Cruz can form a solid 1-2 setup punch with Luke Weaver. Both his strikeout and whiff rates (K%, Whiff%) were in the 99th percentile last season. Opposing teams could have an even tougher time than usual against the vaunted Yankee ‘pen.
