Rangers send hard-working catcher Jose Trevino to Yankees - The Dallas Morning News

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Say this for the Texas Rangers’ 2021 “regular” lineup: It may have only led to a 60-win season, but it seems to suit the New York Yankees just fine.

On Saturday, the Rangers cleared up their catching situation by making their second trade with the New York Yankees since last July. They sent hard-working Jose Trevino to New York for a pair of pitchers, giving the Yankees a full third of the Rangers’ most regular position players from 2021: Joey Gallo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevino.

The Rangers received right-hander Albert Abreu, who will go into their bullpen as another multi-inning option, and 22-year-old lefty Robby Ahlstrom, the Yankees’ seventh-round pick last year. The Rangers had spent a decent amount of time last year investigating Ahlstrom, a college teammate at Oregon of second-round pick Aaron Zavala.

Abreu, 26, had a 5.15 ERA in 36 innings with the Yankees last year, his first extended major league action. The Yankees were deep in bullpen options and thin at catcher, making the two teams a perfect partner. Though Abreu is out of minor league options, he features a 98 mph fastball and an effective slider. He also had 12 outings of more than an inning last year, an attractive trait for a team thin on multi-inning relievers.

It was a move of necessity for the Rangers. Since acquiring Mitch Garver from Minnesota for Kiner-Falefa at the outset of spring training, it’s only been a matter of time. The Rangers are hoping to get 80-100 games out of Garver behind the plate and now have Jonah Heim, who has a long list of attributes attractive in a backup catcher: He’s an excellent pitch-framer, a switch-hitter and has legitimate power.

Even Trevino, while a bit shaken at leaving the only organization he’s known in nine years as a pro, acknowledged the trade was not unexpected.

“I wasn’t really surprised, but I wasn’t going to think ahead,” Trevino said. “I try not to do that stuff. I like to be where my feet are, to be in the moment. So, every day I was here, I was here. And I hope I made everyone better around me.”

From the time Trevino, a Texas native, made his MLB debut with an emotional Father’s Day weekend in 2018, he had been an image of hard work, hustle and passion. His game-winning single on Father’s Day left him in tears, a final tribute to his father, who had passed earlier in the year.

As a catcher, his strength is working with pitchers, but his .634 career OPS put him at the bottom tier offensively even among backup catchers. And when the Rangers acquired Heim from Oakland, they actually acquired a slightly better pitch framer. Heim, 26, is also nearly three years younger than Trevino.

He is not, however, as outgoing or as outspoken as Trevino. And that is still an area in which he must improve.

“We looked at the ceiling for Jonah as maybe a tick higher, but he’s still got to go out and prove it,” manager Chris Woodward said. “This is a great opportunity, but the expectations are high. As a catcher in this organization, you have to be an elite leader. That’s probably where [Trevino] has an advantage because it just comes naturally to him. The growth we saw from Jonah from the time he came in here until the offseason was interesting. We’re going to keep pushing.”

The Rangers feel they are covered in the case of a short-term injury with Meibrys Viloria and Yohel Pozo, both of whom have some major league experience, at Triple-A. They are hopeful top-tier prospect Sam Huff, now recovered from knee issues, will be an option in the event they need a longer-term solution.

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April 03, 2022 at 09:03AM
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2022/04/02/texas-sends-hard-working-catcher-jose-trevino-to-yankees-bolstering-new-yorks-stable-of-ex-rangers/

Rangers send hard-working catcher Jose Trevino to Yankees - The Dallas Morning News

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