Jose Trevino is motivated by last year's World Series loss

Every spring, as I get to know the new faces on the Reds, I ask each of them how they felt about their previous season.

New Reds catcher Jose Trevino had a solid year in 2024 with the Yankees. He took a step forward at the plate, continuing playing elite defense, played a leadership role on one of the best teams in baseball and was most well-known for the way he worked with the pitching staff.

So, Jose, how’d you feel about your 2024 season?

“Heartbreaking,” Trevino said. “We didn’t win the World Series. What I did last year doesn’t really matter.”

There’s one moment in particular that sticks with him.

In game two of the World Series, he stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning. The Yankees were down by two runs, and Trevino had the opportunity to provide the counter punch to Freddie Freeman’s historic grand slam in the previous game.

Trevino got the pitch he was looking for. “Fastball, middle in,” he says four months later.

He hit a deep fly out to center field. The Yankees lost the game and fell behind 0-2 in the series.

“It motivates me,” Trevino said, getting choked up. “You just asked me how my season went. It wasn’t good because we lost the World Series. There are things in that series and things throughout the season that I still think about. Until I get back on the field again, those things will be in the back of my head.”

Of all of the Reds’ offseason acquisitions, no player gives the Reds a more significant upgrade over what the team had in that role last year than Trevino. Luke Maile had a poor 2024 season. Trevino is one of the best 30 catchers in baseball. He ranked 33rd in MLB in OPS among catchers last year (which is pretty good for a backup), and his reputation behind the plate precedes him.

Because of Maile’s struggles last year, the Reds put Tyler Stephenson behind the plate for as many innings as possible. With Trevino now in the fold as a well above average backup, the Reds can manage Stephenson’s playing time more reasonably.

Terry Francona recognized what the Reds have in Trevino during the Reds’ caravan. Francona was sitting at the front of the bus and overheard a conversation between Trevino and Reds catching prospect Alfredo Duno.

“I was like, damn, this is great,” Francona said. “When a teammate — especially one who has just played in the World Series and has his defensive reputation — when he talks, people are going to listen. I could tell a player that the same way, but if you do it too much, you’re considered overcoaching or panicking. When a teammate does it, you’re being a great teammate.”

On the first day of spring training, Trevino was about to catch his first bullpens with Reds pitchers. To get the most out of his work with each pitcher, Trevino asked coaches and front office members for scouting reports.

That’s not very common.

So far, Trevino is impressed with what he’s seeing in Reds camp.

“We have a good enough team to hold ourselves to a high standard,” Trevino said. “That World Series should be what we’re chasing. It’s my standard.”

Trevino sounds like a guy who has spent half of his career with the Yankees, where every season is World Series or bust. The Reds aren’t there yet. Most of the Reds’ players and coaches can’t relate to the experience that’s motivating Trevino.

One guy who can is Terry Francona.

“He’s a winning manager who has done it before,” Trevino said. “When you talk about expectations, he knows. He has them for us. That’s the way it should be.”

Singer learning on his strengths but is open to new things

Brady Singer’s MLB career has featured a push and pull.

He throws a very good sinker-slider combo, which has helped him get established as a solid MLB starter. But he has always struggled against lefties, and he has been searching for the right tool that can push him over the top in those matchups.

He tinkered with a changeup for years, and that didn’t work.

Now, changing teams for the first time and working with a new staff of pitching coaches, he’s open to new ideas.

“I’m getting my feet wet with the pitching staff and the guys and all of that,” Singer said. “I’m changing things up. The splits weren’t great. We have some new ideas, and I’m going to listen to what these guys have to say.”

He doesn’t want to get too far away from his bread and butter, which are his two best pitches. He’s finding some more subtle ways to pitch effectively against left-handers, including adding other pitch shapes that he can mix in to give hitters different looks.

An early focus on base running

After leading the league in outs on the bases last year, the Reds recognize that they need to be a more mature team on the bases in 2025.

“We can be more consistent with our decision making,” Steer said. “It showed up a lot base running last year and running ourselves out of innings. Running into a lot of outs. Tito has already hit on it a couple of times. We’re going to run the bases aggressively but smart. That’s a big thing that we can improve on. That will trickle down into the rest of our game.”

One tweak from Tito

In previous years, position players and pitchers went through pre-practice warmups on different fields. This year, they’re stretching all together.