The New York Yankees acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson on Friday night in exchange for veteran catcher Jose Trevino.
Cruz, 34, went 3-8 last season with a 4.86 ERA, 35 walks and 109 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings over 69 games (three starts). His average of 14.72 strikeouts per nine innings was the highest among MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings last season, and his 37.8 percent strikeout rate ranked third.
A native of Puerto Rico, Cruz was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He has a career record of 4-11 with a 4.52 ERA, 72 walks and 228 strikeouts in 147 1/3 innings over 141 games (seven starts) since making his MLB debut at age 32 in September 2022.
Jackson, who turns 29 on Wednesday, had signed with the Reds as a minor league free agent on Nov. 5. He batted .122 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 139 at-bats over 58 games last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Seattle Mariners selected Jackson in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2014 draft. He has played parts of five seasons for the Atlanta Braves (2019-21), Miami Marlins (2021), Milwaukee Brewers (2022) and Rays (2024). Jackson is a career .132 hitter with six homers and 24 RBIs in 124 games.
Trevino, 32, batted .215 for the Yankees last season with eight homers and 28 RBIs in 74 regular-season games.
The Texas Rangers picked Trevino in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. He batted .236 with 32 homers and 141 RBIs in 400 games over seven seasons with the Rangers (2018-21) and Yankees (2022-24), with whom he was an All-Star in 2022.
