The New York Yankees added a strikeout reliever to their bullpen, acquiring Fernando Cruz from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for catcher Jose Trevino on Friday.
Cruz, 34, struck out 109 batters in 66 2/3 innings with a 4.86 ERA in 69 appearances. His strikeout total ranked fourth among MLB relievers last season. Luke Weaver led Yankees relievers with 103 strikeouts in 2024.
In three seasons with Cincinnati, Cruz averaged 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings with a 4.52 ERA in 141 appearances.
With their trade last week for Devin Williams, the Yankees have added two impact arms to their relief corps. Williams notched 14 saves in 22 appearances with 38 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings after missing the first three months of the season with a stress fracture in his back.
Trevino, 31, appeared in 73 games for the Yankees as the backup to Austin Wells. He batted .215 with a .642 OPS, eight home runs and 28 RBI. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, the Reds were looking for a veteran catcher to work with their young pitching staff along with starter Tyler Stephenson.
The trade ends Trevino’s three-season stint with the Yankees. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2022, batting .248 with a .671 OPS, 12 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 353 plate appearances (115 games). He also threw out a league-high 33% (15-of-45) of opposing baserunners.
In seven MLB seasons (his first four with the Texas Rangers), Trevino has compiled a .239 average and .637 OPS while throwing out 23% of attempted base-stealers.
Also going to the Yankees is catcher Alex Jackson, who could take Trevino’s backup role. Jackson, 28, just signed a minor league deal with the Reds as a free agent in November. With the Tampa Bay Rays last season, he batted. 122 with a .439 OPS in a career-high 155 plate appearances.
