Reds sign former Yankees All-Star catcher to head-scratching contract extension

In some way, the New York Yankees cleaned house this offseason after making it to the World Series. They watched a number of free agents depart and traded some other notable names to clear a path for newer additions.

One of those trades featured 2022 All-Star Jose Trevino, who was sent to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for relief pitcher Fernando Cruz. The agreement allowed the Yankees to add bullpen depth and free up about $3.5 million in salary (Trevino's expected arbitration figure).

And it only took a few months for Trevino to get a larger payday. In what some Yankees fans would consider a jarring move, the Reds signed Trevino to a three-year extension in the $15 million range on Thursday afternoon.

For as much as Yankees fans loved Trevino, there was no debating his declining play. His bat quickly regressed (perhaps as a result of injuries, or perhaps as a result of 2022 being some sort of an aberration) and his arm strength suffered greatly due to shoulder woes.

The Yankees didn't deem him worth $3.5 million for 2025, but the Reds, a small market club, just invested $15 million in him? We know New York doesn't always make shrewd personnel decisions, but what gives here?

Former Yankees catcher Jose Trevino signs contract extension with Reds

But congratulations are in order. Trevino has been in MLB since 2018 and has worked his way into a valuable backup role. Entering his age-32 season, he was in need of a payday, and he secured it. Good for him, he's undoubtedly worked hard.

In fact, he was once among the best defensive catchers in the sport. And he still remains there in a few categories. He's tops in the league for blocks above average and framing. There's a ton of value in that.

Unfortunately, Trevino has the worst pop time in the league and can't throw out runners (fifth percentile for caught stealing). Not only that, but his offense has taken a massive hit, as he's batted just .212 with 12 homers and 43 RBI over his last 128 games. Perhaps the Reds are paying for his experience and likely ability to help teach younger players. Perhaps Cincy's contract extension talks with Tyler Stephenson aren't going well and the team wanted more security.

Either way, the Reds got their guy, Trevino got his money, and everybody's happy. We're just curious as to why the Yankees wouldn't pay $3.5 million for Trevino for one last year when they had no clear backup catcher options, while the Reds just gave him more than triple that amount to serve in the same role for three years.