'The Backbone of Our Team': Rangers' Decision to Trade Trevino Difficult But Necessary

The Texas Rangers' decision to trade fan-favorite Jose Trevino was not easy to make.

The business side of baseball can be down right painful.

As one of the final moves in the Texas Rangers' pivot from a 102-loss season, the club decided to unclog the situation behind the plate by trading fan-favorite catcher Jose Trevino to the New York Yankees in exchange for two young pitchers. Decisions like this don't come easy—not for the player or the club. 

The Rangers gave Trevino the honor of an in-person conversation, as president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, general manager Chris Young, catching coach Bobby Wilson and manager Chris Woodward were all present to inform him of the trade.

"That was a really hard one. He's been the backbone of our team," Woodward said. "What Trevi has done for us, I will never forget. He was a rock in that clubhouse. He meant the world to me, personally."

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Since the Rangers selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Oral Roberts University, Trevino has impressed many in the organization on and off the field. He's turned into one of the game's best receivers behind the plate, ranking in the 96th percentile in pitch framing. However, Trevino's evolution into a leader in the clubhouse and a stalwart in community outreach had an impact that numbers can't track.

"He was a big part of our clubhouse and our culture," Woodward said. "He still is. His fingerprints will be all over this thing when we win. I will never let him forget that."

Trevino's future with the Rangers became unclear when the club acquired Mitch Garver right before the start of spring training. The trade immediately thrust Trevino and Jonah Heim into a competition for the backup role behind the plate. With Trevino more seasoned, an option to the minor leagues would have been difficult for the team to do. The Rangers, confident in their catching depth, opted to do right by Trevino, giving him an opportunity to play in the big leagues elsewhere.

"I've got nothing but good things to say about this organization," Trevino said. "Taking a chance on a kid from a small town in Texas to represent the whole organization, being able to wear 'Texas' across my chest, has been unbelievable."

Of course, the competition behind the plate weighed on Trevino throughout camp. Any uncertainty of the future would. However, he continued to put the team first in the face of a possible option or trade.

"I like to be where my feet are; be in the moment," Trevino said. "So every day that I was here, I was here. I hope I made everyone better around me. That's my goal every time I step on a baseball field."

Now, Trevino makes his way to Florida to join the Yankees for the final few days of spring training. In New York, he'll have a much better opportunity to make the postseason in 2022, which is something Trevino has thought about since his father coached him through postseason scenarios as a youngster—much like the one that inspired his Father's Day walk-off hit in 2018.

"I've been preparing for this," Trevino said. "I've always wanted to play in the postseason. All the hard work I've put in here, I'll just take it over to New York."