The Reds expanded their catching room Friday night, acquiring Jose Trevino from the Yankees in exchange for right-hander 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 also someone with a good reputation among pitchers who could help the team.

Trevino won a Gold and Platinum Glove with the Yankees in 2022 as part of an All-Star campaign, but became the team’s second catcher behind rookie Austin Wells last season after being sidelined by a left field injury in mid-August quadrant had returned. He slashed .215/.288/.354 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 234 plate appearances in 2024, an offensive performance that was essentially in line with his seven-year career averages.

Instead, the majority of his production came from defense. His 10 catcher-framing runs were 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 considering he had caught fewer innings than most of his competitors (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 develop young pitchers like Graham Ashcraft, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott for Hunter Greene is obviously appealing.

“We viewed him as a guy who could really improve our catching defense and work really well with the pitching staff,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall said via Zoom Friday night. “…This is something we had to do. Because we got a good defensive catcher along with Tyler (Stephenson), we really felt like there was a chance for a good combination.”

Krall acknowledged that the Reds’ second catcher has been a more traditional backup in recent years. Trevino should be a departure from that. He’s shown in the past that he can be an everyday catcher, but that doesn’t mean Stephenson will be thrown out from behind. If anything, this could lead to scenarios where the two catchers can be in the same lineup and Stephenson serves as the designated hitter.

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

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

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

In return, the Reds are sending Cruz, who posted a 4.86 ERA over 66 2/3 innings, although his 109 strikeouts and 3.27 FIP suggested he underperformed. Jackson signed a minor league contract with the Reds in November.

The bullpen was a thorn in the Reds’ side last season, losing 37 games, the most in the National League. The team has made several moves to strengthen the group, most notably re-signing Brent Suter, re-signing backup candidate Luis Mey and claiming Roansy Contreras off waivers. Trading Cruz thins out the group, but acquiring a top-notch defensive catcher was too tempting to pass.

“We felt there was a bit of a shortage in the fishing market,” Krall said. “There are more guys in the relief market to bolster your bullpen. … It was a tough call, but we felt we had to do something, a trade out of the bullpen, given the tightness in the catching market. If we could add a bullpen guy, that would be great.”