The New York Yankees completed a notable trade on Friday, sending catcher to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed reliever and catcher.
As reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Treviño was set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. He had already ceded playing time to Austin Wells during the 2024 campaign, with Wells solidifying his role as the Yankees’ starting catcher by the time they reached the World Series.
In return for their backup catcher, the Yankees acquired Cruz, who posted a 36.1% strikeout rate in 2024 — the sixth-highest among right-handed relievers with at least 50 innings. Cruz, who turns 35 in March, has a career record of 4-11 with a 4.52 ERA over 141 games (seven starts) for the Reds between 2022 and 2024. Originally drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Royals in 2007, the Puerto Rico native also had stints in the Chicago Cubs’ system.
Jackson, 28, has appeared in 124 MLB games across five seasons (2019-2024) with the Braves, Marlins, Brewers, and Rays, though he has never played more than 52 games in a season. A career .132 hitter with six home runs and 24 RBIs, he could step into the backup role Treviño held for the Yankees over the past two years.
Treviño, 32, batted .215 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs over 73 games in 2024. Once an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2022, his offensive production declined over the last two seasons. In 2023, he played just 55 games, slashing .210/.257/.312. With the Reds, Treviño is expected to share catching duties with Tyler Stephenson, who caught an NL-leading 127 games in 2024 and posted a .258/.338/.440 line with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs.
The standout piece of the deal may be Cruz, who features a dominant split-finger fastball that stymied hitters to the tune of a .116 batting average and no home runs in 2024, following a .094 average and just one homer allowed in 2023. Cruz also mixes in a 95-mph fastball and a cutter.
This trade marks the Yankees’ second acquisition from the NL Central this week, following their blockbuster deal with the Cubs to acquire Cody Bellinger in exchange for pitcher Cody Poteet on Tuesday.
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