With a shock late-Friday commerce, the Yankees added a real strikeout artist to a bullpen that appears potent, misplaced one season of an elite pitch-framer and trimmed a little bit of payroll.
Jose Trevino, an All-Star in 2022 and among the many recreation’s greatest at making balls appear like strikes, has been shipped to the Reds for high-octane righty Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson.
Trevino arrived from the Rangers on the tail finish of ’22 spring coaching and broke out, however he was largely damage in 2023 and misplaced his beginning job in 2024, when Austin Wells emerged as what seems to be the way forward for the Yankees’ catching place.
Trevino was owed round $3.5 million in arbitration for 2025, which will probably be his stroll yr, and the Yankees can go cheaper on a backup and redirect that cash elsewhere.
Jackson, a 28-year-old journeyman whom the Reds had signed to a minor league deal, is properly regarded defensively however has by no means hit in 5 main league seasons.
Cruz is the extra vital piece of the commerce.
The Yankees’ bullpen usually struggled to pile up strikeouts final season, and Cruz doesn’t battle to overlook bats.
Relying closely on his splitter, Cruz struck out 109 in 66 ²/₃ innings final season — 14.72 per 9 innings representing the very best price within the majors amongst pitchers who threw 50 innings.
He additionally walked 35 and pitched to a 4.86 ERA, making him one other venture for pitching coach Matt Blake.
A 3-year main leaguer, Cruz is 34 however has not even reached arbitration but.
For a number of years, he will be optioned to the minor leagues, and the Yankees personal 4 years of contractual management.
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With this swap, the Yankees have traded for the next ceiling however have given away a high-floor participant in Trevino.
Pitchers love throwing to Trevino, who is great at framing and blocking potential wild pitches however has a throwing arm that usually was uncovered final season.
On the plate, Trevino had not but approached the heights of his first half of ’22 and posted a mixed .611 OPS in ’23 and ’24.
Jackson turns into the most definitely backup to Wells, however the Yankees have a pair of prospects on the 40-man roster (J.C. Escarra and Jesus Rodriguez) who may turn into choices.
The Yankees’ bullpen ultimately solidified final season, but it surely took a number of months of rock flipping to discover a mixture that labored, and an absence of strikeouts usually turned highlighted.
This offseason, the Yankees have added electric closer Devin Williams, re-signed electric-when-healthy Jonathan Loáisiga and now have imported arguably the perfect aid arm at lacking bats in baseball.
Contemplating the holdovers embody Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter Jr. and Jake Cousins, the membership’s bullpen seems doubtlessly dominant.