The Cincinnati Reds kicked off the offseason with a major move, trading Jonathan India and minor leaguer Joey Wiemer to the Kansas City Royals for right-handed pitcher Brady Singer. However, after that, there was little activity for the next two months, with only occasional mentions in rumors. But after the winter meetings wrapped up, the Reds front office picked up the pace again.
Following some minor league signings, the team announced late Friday that they had acquired catcher Jose Trevino from the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and minor league catcher Alex Jackson.
After the 2024 season, the Reds lost nearly their entire catching depth across Double-A, Triple-A, and the major league roster, except for Tyler Stephenson, who remained. They had signed Alex Jackson to a minor league contract earlier in the offseason to add some depth in case of injuries, but he wasn’t expected to serve as Stephenson’s backup. The team had been searching for someone to fill that role, and it seems that Trevino will be that person.
Trevino, 32, has been in the majors for the past seven seasons, debuting with the Texas Rangers in 2018 before joining the Yankees in 2022. He made the All-Star team that year, which marked the only time in his career he played more than 90 games in a season. His career batting line is .236/.275/.362, with 32 home runs in 399 major league games. His on-base percentage has never exceeded the .288 mark he posted last season, reflecting his struggles at the plate.
Alex Jackson.
Defensively, Trevino is highly regarded, particularly for his catching skills. Despite playing just 74 games, he ranked 9th in defensive value among catchers, according to Fangraphs, with all the players in the top 16 having appeared in more games.
His caught stealing rate has fluctuated throughout his career, but he had a standout season in 2022, leading the league with a 33.3% rate. His career rate stands at 23.2%. While Trevino joins the Reds, Cincinnati sends Cruz and Jackson to New York. Jackson never played for the Reds and was likely headed to Triple-A, while Cruz has been a part of the Reds’ bullpen for the past three seasons.
Cruz showed promise in his 2022 debut with a 1.23 ERA in 14.2 innings, but his performance became inconsistent over the following two seasons, posting ERAs of 4.91 and 4.86. When he’s on, he can be dominant, but his control has been an issue. The Reds will need to find a way to replace Cruz in the bullpen, but with several starting pitchers on the roster, they could move some of those who don’t make the rotation into the bullpen if necessary.
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