Did Yankees get a diamond in the rough in trade involving former All-Star catcher?

Have the New York Yankees done it again?

Former 15-year MLB player Cameron Maybin thinks the Yankees have found their next pitching “diamond in the rough” with reliever Fernando Cruz in their trade with the Cincinnati Reds. 

“You know what the Yankees have been able to do with pitching the last few years, right? They've done a great job; when you talk about (Yankees pitching coach) Matt Blake and how he's been able to change the course of guy’s career,” Maybin said on Foul Territory. 

Cruz, who will turn 35 in March, came over to the Yankees with catcher Alex Jackson in a trade that sent former All-Star catcher Jose Trevino back.

The right-hander was 0-3 with a high 4.86 ERA in 69 games with the Reds last season. Undoubtedly what caught the Yankees’ eyes was Cruz's strikeout rate. He has struck out 109 batters in 66.2 innings.

He throws what some people in baseball consider the best splitter in the game with a remarkable 59.3% whiff rate in 2024. But he also comes with a 12% walk rate last season and 11.4% for his career. He has a 41.7% hard-hit rate and is among the worst in the majors in allowing hitters to barrel up his pitches, according to Baseball Savant. 

Blake has a good track record of focusing on a pitchers’ strength and helping them reinvent their careers. 

“Look at Clay Holmes,” Maybin continued. “After leaving Pittsburgh, he became one of the more dominant bullpen guys in the game. I think what they're going to do is they're going to do their best to simplify his repertoire. …You're going to have to make it simple for him, because the stuff plays.  We talk about that elite splitter, …. how devastating it's been. When you look at his stuff, he should be better.”

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