The Reds added to their catcher room Friday night, acquiring Jose Trevino from the Yankees in exchange for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson. It’s a move that not only gives the Reds one of the best defensive catchers in the game, but someone with a good reputation with pitchers who could help the staff.

Trevino won a Gold – and Platinum – Glove with the Yankees in 2022 as part of an All-Star campaign, but he became the team’s second catcher behind rookie Austin Wells last season after he returned from a left quad strain injury in mid-August. He slashed .215/.288/.354 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs across 234 plate appearances in 2024, offensive output that was basically consistent with his seven-year career averages.

Instead, most of his production came defensively. His 10 catcher framing runs was tied for the fourth most in baseball last year, according to Baseball Savant, while his seven blocks above average ranked ninth in baseball. Those numbers were even more impressive when considering he had fewer innings caught than most of his competition (544 1/3 innings in 2024).

Trevino also has a reputation for helping the entire pitching staff beyond his framing and blocking on the field. Getting someone to help them to develop young pitchers such as Graham Ashcraft, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott to pair with Hunter Greene has obvious appeal.

“We looked at it as a guy that can really upgrade our defense at catching and work really well with the pitching staff,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall said over Zoom Friday night. “...This is something we felt we had to do. Getting a plus-plus defensive catcher to go with Tyler [Stephenson], we really felt it has a chance to be a good combination.”

Krall acknowledged in recent years the Reds’ second catcher had been a more traditional backup. Trevino should be a departure from that. He has shown that he can be an everyday catcher in the past, but that doesn’t mean Stephenson is getting booted from behind the plate. If anything, this could create scenarios where the two catchers can be in the same lineup, with Stephenson serving as the designated hitter.

Stephenson took a step forward offensively last season, hitting 19 home runs with a .258 batting average and .782 OPS. Krall celebrated how Stephenson achieved his goal of catching 1,000 innings last year, but this is a move that could help him get off his feet more while keeping his bat in the lineup.

“It adds another element of versatility to this club that we think can really upgrade the pitching staff,” Krall said.

Trevino is set to become a free agent after the 2025 season.

In exchange, the Reds are sending over Cruz, who recorded a 4.86 ERA over 66 2/3 innings, though his 109 strikeouts and 3.27 FIP suggested he was underperforming. Jackson signed a Minor League contract with the Reds in November.

The bullpen was a thorn for the Reds last season, losing 37 games, the most in the National League. The team has made a few moves to try to strengthen the group, notably re-signing Brent Suter, selecting the contract of relief prospect Luis Mey and claiming Roansy Contreras off waivers. Trading Cruz thins the group, but acquiring a premium defensive catcher was too enticing to pass.

“We felt there was some scarcity on the catching market,” Krall said. “The relief market, there’s more people to bolster your bullpen. … It was a tough thing to do, but we felt with the scarcity in the catching market, this is something we had to make, a trade out of the bullpen. If we can add a bullpen guy, that would be great.”