Yankees trade Trevino to Reds for Cruz, Jackson

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  • Jorge Castillo, ESPN staff writer20 December 2024 at 23.10 ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

The New York Yankees traded catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson, the teams announced Friday.

The move represents a passing of the torch behind the plate for the Yankees.

Trevino, 32, arrived in New York via trade with the Texas Rangers before the start of the 2022 season to start at catcher. He excelled with his bat in the first half, making his first and only All-Star team. He also won a Gold Glove and American League Platinum Glove after leading all catchers with 21 defensive runs saved. He finished the season hitting .248 with 11 home runs and a .671 OPS.

Injuries limited Trevino to 55 games in 2023. He began the 2024 campaign as the Yankees’ starting catcher until landing on the disabled list with a quadriceps injury in July.

Austin Wells, a rookie, replaced Trevino and did not surrender the starting job for the rest of the season. Trevino finished the year hitting .215 with eight home runs and a .642 OPS in 73 games. Wells finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .229 with 13 home runs and a .718 OPS in 115 games.

With the trade of Trevino, who is slated for free agency after next season, the 25-year-old Wells expects to report to spring training as the team’s everyday catcher.

Cruz made his major league debut as a 32-year-old in 2022. Now 34, the right-hander has a 4.52 ERA in 141 big league games. Last season, Cruz posted a 4.86 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 69 appearances. He is not eligible for arbitration until the 2026 season.

Cruz is the Yankees’ second bullpen acquisition this offseason. They acquired closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers last week.

The Reds sent Jackson to New York after signing him to a minor league contract last month. The 28-year-old catcher has a career .132 batting average with a .456 OPS and six home runs in 124 games across five seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.