The New York Yankees added a strikeout reliever to their bullpen, acquiring Fernando Cruz from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in exchange for catcher Jose Trevino.
Cruz, 34, struck out 109 batters in 66 2/3 innings with a 4.86 ERA in 69 appearances. He struck out more than anyone in the Yankees’ bullpen. Luke Weaver led Yankees relievers with 103 strikeouts last season.
In three seasons with Cincinnati, Cruz averaged 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings with a 4.52 ERA in 141 appearances.
With last week’s trade for Devin Williams, the Yankees added two impact arms to their relief corps. Williams recorded 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, played in 73 games for the Yankees as a backup to Austin Wells. He hit .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 alongside starter Tyler Stephenson with their young pitching staff.
The trade ends Trevino’s three-season stint with the Yankees. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2022, hitting .248 with a .671 OPS, 12 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 353 at-bats (115 games). He also threw a whopping 33% (15 of 45) of opposing baserunners in the league.
In seven MLB seasons (his first four with the Texas Rangers), Trevino has compiled a .239 average and an OPS of .637 while throwing away 23% of base-stealing attempts.
Also heading to the Yankees is catcher Alex Jackson, who could take on Trevino’s backup role. Jackson, 28, just signed a minor league deal with the Reds as a free agent in November. He batted with the Tampa Bay Rays last season. 122 with a .439 OPS in a career-high 155 plate appearances.
