The New York Yankees added some bullpen depth and emergency catching depth to their roster with a move late Dec. 20 that sent Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds.
Fernando Cruz is a right-handed reliever with electric strikeout potential but who is also erratic. Alex Jackson is a decent defensive catcher whose struggles at the plate last season with the Tampa Bay Rays had him hitting below .100 into July.
For the Yankees, this was more about reallocating money and roster spots. Trevino, who was an All-Star in 2022 after the Yankees acquired him from the Rangers, declined in the two seasons since.
He was a good framing catcher who struggled to throw out runners. He was due to make over $3.5 million in 2025 through arbitration.
Cruz, who will turn 35 in March, was 0-3 with a high 4.86 ERA in 69 games with the Reds last season. There’s nothing exciting about that, but he did strike out 109 batters in 66.2 innings.
He throws a splitter with a pretty remarkable 59.3% whiff rate in 2024. That is clearly what caught the eye of the Yankees, who have had success with exclamation projects like Cruz under pitching coach Matt Blake.
However, he also comes with a 12% walk rate last season and 11.4% rate for his career. He has a 41.7% hard-hit rate and is among the worst in the majors in allowing hitters to barrel up his pitches, according to Baseball Savant.
Jackson is a career .132 hitter with six homers and a .456 OPS in 124 games with the Braves (2019-21), Marlins (2021-22) and Rays (2024).
Jackson signed a minor-league deal with the Reds in November. He is considered a solid framing catcher, which the Yankees will probably use in Triple-A to help train their pitchers.
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