The New York Yankees made an unexpected trade on Friday night to add a true strikeout artist to bolster their bullpen, although in return they lost a “deception artist” and in the process cut their hefty payroll.
All-Star catcher Jose Trevino, one of the best receivers to disguise balls and turn them into strikes, was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed pitcher Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson, The Post reported
Treviño arrived from the Texas Rangers at the end of spring training in 2022, but was injured for much of 2023 and lost his starting job in 2024 when Austin Wells emerged as what appears to be the future of the Yankees’ catching position.
Treviño was owed around $3.5 million in arbitration for 2025, when he would become a free agent, and the Yankees can buy a cheaper backup and redirect that money elsewhere.
The new members of the Bronx Bombers
Jackson, a 28-year-old who the Reds had signed to a minor league contract, has a good defensive reputation, but has never hit in five seasons in the major leagues.
While Cruz is the most important piece of business to bolster a bullpen that had few strikeouts last season, that is the specialty of the new Bronx Bombers reliever.
Relying heavily on his splitter, Cruz struck out 109 in 66 2/3 innings last season: 14.72 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest rate in the majors among pitchers who threw 50 or more innings.
He also gave up 35 walks and pitched to an ERA of 4.86, which made him another project for pitching coach Matt Blake