GOODYEAR, Arizona – It’s not hard to understand why the Cincinnati Reds wanted Jose Trevino enough to trade strikeout-maker Fernando Cruz to the Yankees for him and then try to sign him to an extension.
Defensively elite, game-savvy, clubhouse-positive catchers aren’t exactly common. “He’s come as advertised,” manager Terry Francona said.
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But fresh off a World Series run with the New York Yankees, what did the former All-Star catcher see in the Reds to make him want to sign for two more years, rather than test free agency after the season?
Cincinnati Reds catcher Jose Trevino, wife Markie and Reds president Nick Krall during Friday’s press conference. Trevino is now signed through 2027 with a club option for 2028.
When Trevino was asked that question Friday morning during a media event for his $11.5 million contract extension, he looked at a sea of red-clad teammates assembled behind the media, right on cue.
“The talent,” he said. “You look around this room right now. You have some electric guys. You have Elly (De La Cruz). You have (Matt) McLain. And then you go to the pitching staff. The pitching staff is young, including guys in the minor leagues. It’s something to be excited about for the future.
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“I also feel like we have a great team now. It’s time to win,” he said. “When I first came over here, all I heard in the city was, ‘Hey, when the Reds are going, this city is fun.’ So we’re hoping to do that this year.”
Trevino, whose crowd size for Friday’s event was no coincidence, will get more to say about what the Reds do this year — at least early in the season — than a typical backup catcher.
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He’s the starter until further notice as Tyler Stephenson works his way back from an oblique injury.
Jose Trevino will carry a bigger workload with Tyler Stephenson expected to begin the season on the injured list. “We all know how this works,” team president Nick Krall said. “You need two guys who can really handle a workload to catch and work with the staff.”
“We all know how this works,” team president Nick Krall said. “You need two guys who can really handle a workload to catch and work with the staff. And we’ve got two really good players here. And it was exciting to be able to do this deal.”
Trevino, who avoided arbitration this past winter with a $3.425 million agreement, gets $5.25 million each of the next two seasons on the new deal, which includes a $6.5 million club option for 2028 ($1 million buyout).
Krall said the idea of an extension was first raised with Trevino’s agent after the trade and then again through the arbitration process.
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“He’s a solid guy, man,” Francona said. “There’s a reason why we haven’t even started the season yet and he signed an extension. People feel pretty strongly about him.”
No?
Teammate Brent Suter asked for the media microphone to ask the final question of Friday’s presser.
“Any teammates you think you want to be neighbors with,” said Suter, the Moeller grad who makes his home in Cincinnati.
Trevino: “Thanks for sending me your address, Brent. I appreciate it.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds’ Jose Trevino eschewed free agency for extension