WEDNESDAY: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter) that the Dodgers will send right-handed pitcher Jonathan Martinez to the Cubs as the PTBNL. The 20-year-old was enjoying a strong season at Class A in the Midwest League, having pitched to a 3.47 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 106 innings. He did not rank among the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects, per Baseball America.
MONDAY, 5:43pm: MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports that the Dodgers will pay $500K of what is owed to Barney this season (Twitter link).
2:32pm: The Dodgers have bolstered their infield depth and their defense with the acquisition of Darwin Barney from the Cubs, both teams announced. Chicago will send Barney and cash considerations to Los Angeles in return for a player to be named later, according to releases from each team. It was reported earlier today that Barney, who was designated for assignment last week, was garnering trade interest.
The 28-year-old Barney hit just .230/.265/.328 in 217 plate appearances with the Cubs this season, but his bat has never been his calling card. Barney consistently rates as one of the best defensive second baseman in the Major Leagues, and this year was no different. His Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games was +15.5, while Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at +7 runs in limited time. Per DRS, Barney has  saved 46 runs over the past three seasons.
Dee Gordon has established himself as Los Angeles’ everyday second baseman this season, so it doesn’t seem likely that Barney will be seeing everyday at-bats with the Dodgers. However, his glove makes him a nice bench piece that the team can use to improve its defense late in games. Barney was drafted as a shortstop and spent more time at short than at the keystone in his minor league career. Despite a lack of experience at the position in recent years, Barney could be used as a replacement if the team wants to either replace the defensively challenged Hanley Ramirez or shift him over to third base late in games.
Barney is earning just $2.3MM this season and is controllable through 2016 as an arbitration eligible player. His bat makes him a non-tender candidate in the offseason, but he will only cost the Dodgers about $804K from here through season’s end.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune first reported that the two sides were nearing a trade (on Twitter), and Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish tweeted that it was a deal. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs would receive a PTBNL in return (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaysfan1994 2
Potentially done so the Giants don’t trade for him?
kungfucampby
Usually you block a good player from being traded to your rival. Guys like Barney and Uggla? Pay for their airfare.
vailb
Not necessarily. The Giants could use a guy who could play the position, which Uggla cannot do anymore (if he ever really could). Bat would have been secondary. They really have nobody. By doing this, the Dodgers have removed a Band-Aid from the Giants’ medicine cabinet. They will have to give up real prospects now if they want, say, Daniel Murphy or Ben Zobrist. So I would not discount the possibility that this is gamesmanship.
vtadave
I am pretty sure that the Dodgers trading for Darwin Barney’s glove has nothing to do with keeping him away from the Giants.
vailb
Did you watch Sunday’s game? The fans in SF are desperate. Barney would have been the cheaper option to solve at least part of the problem. The other options will demand more going back to the other team in terms of prospects. Or they can keep running Uggla out there, who costs them wins.
gmenfan 2
While you’re absolutely right that Uggla solves none of the Giants problems(because he bas NOTHING left in the tank), the Giants already have a weak hitting, decent defending second baseman in Joe Panik so Barney is a lateral move at best.
capnfatback
The problem with this theory is that if the Giants wanted Barney so bad, the Cubs would have worked out a deal with them, as they likely could have received a better player in return than whatever they will get from the Dodgers.
Gumby65
Nah, they are already estatic to have obtained “his name is…”
Gumby65
And this didn’t happen because___________?
capnfatback
Although, now that the deal’s finalized, I do like the kid they ended up getting from LA.
Byron
Agreed. This was NOT a preemptive move, in my opinion.
JJLADfan
Makes sense, and at the same time Guerrero getting time in LF and Turner a FA after this year. Gives us depth at 2B.
silverwidow
Turner is not a free agent; he’s arbitration eligible.
JJLADfan
Was not sure on that, thought non tendered players became FAs.
Jaysfan1994 2
Nobody is going to tender a player making 2.3M this season, don’t you have to offer at minimum 80% of what their earnings were this season to retain them anyways?
jb226 2
Yes, I think that’s correct — have to tender at at least 80% of his previous-year contract. If he’s non-tendered, he becomes a free agent.
silverwidow
Turner is making $1 million this year with the Dodgers. They will tender him — he’s a valuable bench piece.
Guest 3679
No, he’s making 2.3M overall. Which is what they go off of when tendering people. He’s not being tendered unless he turns his season around.
vtadave
Chris Perez makes $2.3M and won’t be tendered.
Justin Turner makes $1.0M and will be tendered.
Nowhere, including Cots, has Turner at $2.3M.
Jaysfan1994 2
My mistake, I kept thinking he was referring to Darwin Barney for some odd reason.
silverwidow
Justin Turner is making $1 million and having a great season.
Jaysfan1994 2
For some reason I thought you said Darwin Barney? The entire time I kept reading “Darwin Barney is having a great season and will be tendered.”
Thank God I’m wrong lol.
peregrintook69
Turn his season around from 126 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR in a small sample this season? Damn what would he have to do?
Gumby65
He was originally a MiLB contract, if that makes any difference.
Tko11
Yeah because the Dodgers need another outfielder to add to their current logjam there.
peregrintook69
Uhhhhhh…. what?
Tko11
Was referring to them using Alexander Guerrero in the outfield
jb226 2
Part of me is surprised we got anything (even if it is just cash) for Barney, and part of me isn’t.
I think the bottom line is Barney is a nice piece on a serious contender. He can handle the short half of a platoon and of course provide excellent defense as a defensive substitution late in the game. He just isn’t a fit on a team like the Cubs who are struggling for every single run.
Jonas Salk
The Cubs didn’t get cash, they sent cash in the deal.
sourbob
I think what jb226 means is the cash savings the Cubs will enjoy by not having to pay Barney’s entire salary for the rest of the season. Even by sending a half million, the Cubs will still save well over $300,000 the rest of the year.
peregrintook69
Pocket change man. No team in baseball, not even Oakland, is worrying about saving $300,000 in a season on player salaries.
Jonas Salk
That’s the sunny way of looking at it. You can also say the Cubs are paying $1.8 million for a player to go away and won’t get anything of value in return. Nothing wrong with that, teams do it all the time. But let’s not pretend they are saving money here.
sourbob
I don’t think you are doing the math right here. Barney was on a $2.3 MM deal. The Cubs aren’t paying $1.8 for him to go away. They paid $1.47MM for him to play 100 games for them. They were going to have to pay him $830k to go away but found someone to take $330k of that money and send them a PTBNL. Are you saying you know of a team that would have paid more? I doubt it. It’s nice they got what they did. Him being awesome and netting a great return would have been better yes. But that’s fantasy. In reality, the Cubs threw a guy out and still managed to acquire a player and mitigate their wasted cash in the process. That’s a good deal.
sourbob
I understand the urge to slag things. But $300,000 is not a rounding error. And the argument was that saving $300k and getting a PTBNL is better than releasing him. Are you saying you disagree?
Chioakcisco
The Dodgers and Giants really are rivals in every sense of the word. Right after the Giants got a 2nd baseman that can’t hit, the Dodgers got…a 2nd baseman that can’t hit.
Jeffrey Thomas III
The Giants got a second baseman who can’t hit OR field. So at least Barney has that going for him. And it’s not like he’s going to be thrown in to the starting line up like Uggla.
Jesus Gutierrez
yea but Uggla is a horrible defender and Barney wont start everyday like uggla, he will be used as a defense switch late in the game like they do with Rojas
Darmintak 2
I’d imagine they’re also trying to block the Giants from getting him. He’s definitely an improvement over Uggla, and coming pretty cheaply, at that.
peregrintook69
Interesting point is that Barney could also be a sub in when a leftie is on the mound as his hitting is not horrific (not good either) against southpaws.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
late inning defensive replacement for HanRam when it’s close and late?
vtadave
That would be Arruebarrena or Rojas. Barney is simply bench depth.
AndreTheGiantKiller
Dee’s defense at second has been solid. This makes more sense if they view him as a SS taking over for Rojas as Hanley’s late inning replacement. Any Cubs fans know what he’s like at short??
Jesus Gutierrez
probably not as great as Rojas
Mackster248
He’s just going to be a UTIL bench, much like what Punto and Shoemaker was for us last year.
vailb
The D’s middle infield depth can’t seem to survive Albuquerque, suddenly a rough neighborhood for middle-infielders.
JCurrie39
Didn’t play much SS at the MLB level but played there extensively in the minors. If he is 90% as good at SS as he is at 2nd base you got yourself a gem. You also got the best defensive 2nd basemen in baseball on the cheap.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
can Barney be persuaded in allowing his walk up song be the barney show theme for a few games?
slyfox1908
Did the Cubs get Blake DeWitt?
DippityDoo
Both Colletti and Hendry love no hit 2B fortunately Hendry is no longer with the cubs.
Strugz
Or Cesar Izturis?
Nathan Boley
Where is Kazuo Matsui when you need him?
oleosmirf 2
Nice little move for the Dodgers.
Cubbyrick
Barney was a better shortstop than Castro. Nice move for L.A. as a late inning guy who is plus defender in the middle of the infield. Also can give a day off to regulars. HE IS NOT A REGULAR PLAYER.
asovermann
Wouldn’t call him a shortstop at all.
Chris Adams
Then you would be wrong
asovermann
Who cares what he played in the minors. Jim Thome played a season of SS in the minors. Was he a SS, no. Barney hasn’t played a full time SS in 4 years. He’s played 2nd base 99% of the time, he’s a 2nd baseman.
Cubbyrick
This comes from the Dodgers web site. “Barney provides additional infield depth, particularly at shortstop, where Miguel Rojas has been the backup and late-inning replacement for starter Hanley Ramirez.
peregrintook69
4176.1 innings 2nd base – 96%
131.2 innings SS – 3%
34 innings at 3rd – 1%
Hahaha so close!
peregrintook69
4176.1 innings 2nd base – 96%
131.2 innings SS – 3%
34 innings at 3rd – 1%
Hahaha so close!
Chris Adams
You would still be wrong. If you have watched Barney play and don’t think he could man SS, then you have no clue what you are talking about.
asovermann
Maybe, but he’s only played 19 games of SS in 5 seasons, how should we know if he can or can’t? Wouldn’t the Cubs have moved Castro to 2nd if Barney was soooo much better at SS? Scouting reports said he had an average arm and average range at SS.
Chris Adams
His range or ability isn’t whats in question in my mind. I will concede that his arm would maybe be a problem. He has played a few games at SS in regular season and some in spring training, as recently as this past one. The guy can field without a doubt but like I said it may have been a concern over his arm not being good enough.
Chris Adams
His range or ability isn’t whats in question in my mind. I will concede that his arm would maybe be a problem. He has played a few games at SS in regular season and some in spring training, as recently as this past one. The guy can field without a doubt but like I said it may have been a concern over his arm not being good enough.
Chris Adams
You would still be wrong. If you have watched Barney play and don’t think he could man SS, then you have no clue what you are talking about.
Cubbyrick
Shortstop is his best position. Has not played it since minors. Was moved to 2nd because of Castro’s bat.
Jonas Salk
No, that is not how it works. Barney does not have the range to play everyday SS. Castro had far more upside as a SS because he is much more athletic which leads to wider range and a much stronger arm. If Barney was so much better or had more potential at short stop they could have moved Castro to 2nd without any problem. The players simply projected better at the positions they were assigned.
Look across town at the White Sox and how they handled Beckham (their version of Barney – though slightly better hitter and slightly less defense). Now Beckham was the top tier prospect in that situation, played SS in college and played it well. But with his skill set said he projected better as a second baseman so they moved him there and kept Alexi Ramirez at SS despite him having previously played 2nd base.
Cubbyrick
Again, this comes direct from the Dodgers web site. “This comes from the Dodgers web site. “Barney provides additional
infield depth, particularly at shortstop, where Miguel Rojas has been
the backup and late-inning replacement for starter Hanley Ramirez.
Remember, he is NOT going to be a regular. This is a late inning replacement, and believe me he probably has more range than Castro.
Jonas Salk
No, he doesn’t have more range than Castro. It’s not even close. SS is a far more important defensive position than 2nd. You need a guy who can cover a lot of ground and has the arm. Barney did not, which is why he was moved to 2nd base. Castro has those talents, he just hasn’t been able to put it together on the field to live up to the talent.
I’m not saying Barney can’t play SS in a pinch, but it’s not a position suited for him due to his skills set.
BTW, it doesn’t matter which site you got that from. Of course the Dodgers are going to say all kinds of glowing things about a guy they picked up who was designated for assignment. Since that is where you were getting him from you have to tell lies to make it sound good. If he was an actual valuable player he wouldn’t have been designated for assignment. So let’s see if they use him as that late inning replacement at SS before we go believing what the company mouthpiece said to the media.
This reminds me of when the Rangers got Alex Rios. They went on about how he can play CF, which was total bs. He was a good RF, but a horrible CF.
Zonk
Per Jim Calls last year, he is a better defensive shortstop than Castro. He ONLY moved because of Castro
Jonas Salk
Castro struggled last year offensively and defensively. Callis was talking about how Barney MAY be the better defensive short stop at the time. That had everything to do with how poorly Castro was playing, not how good Barney could be at SS.
dieharddodgerfan
Yeah, I would not be shocked if Barney is used as the 2B/SS defensive utility player. I figure Miguel Rojas will get demoted. Justin Turner will likely be Uribe’s back up and also occasionally start at 2B against a lefty for Dee. I’ve always liked Barney. As a utility player he can definitely provide value.
asovermann
Cubs get PTBNL
ChiefIlliniwek
Maybe next time they can trade for a vowel.
underdog
Interesting. Wonder why Giants didn’t make a play for him. Possibly considered insurance for LA given Arrrrrribuena just put himself out of the picture and will be out for awhile, Triunfel is bad, Figgins is injured and Guerrero will get the call up by September but isn’t as good defensively as Barney. So in this sense it makes sense, but Rojas seemed like he was doing fine. Presumably DB didn’t cost the Dodgers much.
Jesus Gutierrez
guerrero is pretty bad defensively
vtadave
Not true. He’s still adjusting to a new position, but I wouldn’t say he’s terrible.
Jose Villasano
But can he get on base
asovermann
Statistics say no, he can’t. lol
vtadave
.265 OBP, so no, not really.
I Believe We Can Win
He can get on base. Every player on every MLB team can get on base. The real question is an he get on base adequately? And no he cannot.
rodney davis
A senseless move by the DODGERS, take care of your own business, let the GIANTS do whatever….
John Ramos
Actually, a plus defender for the late innings. Love this idea.
agureghian
++
rodney davis
All this trade Kemp talk is nonsense…..the line up is set or you can swap Agon and Henley….
Rally Weimaraner
Rumors on the Kemp front are bound to continue. The Dodgers have Kemp, Crawford, Puig, Either and Pederson, the only true CF of the bunch, waiting in the minors.
Puig and Pederson are said to be untouchable. Either and Crawford are not performing well enough to garner much trade interest so the rumors have centered around Kemp.
Jesus Gutierrez
Pederson is not untouchable , Urias and Seager should be the only untouchable players
Rally Weimaraner
I can’t say i know enough about Pederson to evaluate him. Just recent reports have said the Dodgers are not open to trading Pederson, Urias or Seager. Also Pederson is the only Of’er out of the 3 and the only even close to MLB ready CF’er the Dodgers have.
thegrayrace
The Dodgers seem to feel Puig can handle CF. So far, he looks alright there. Pederson is not considered an elite defender at CF by any means. He profiles more as a corner outfielder, and would be an average CFer at best.
Seager is probably the most untouchable of the bunch, followed by Urias. Pederson is expendable. The Dodgers would certainly prefer to move Ethier or Crawford (and maybe even Kemp), but they’ll be open to trading Pederson in the right deal.
thegrayrace
The Dodgers seem to feel Puig can handle CF. So far, he looks alright there. Pederson is not considered an elite defender at CF by any means. He profiles more as a corner outfielder, and would be an average CFer at best.
Seager is probably the most untouchable of the bunch, followed by Urias. Pederson is expendable. The Dodgers would certainly prefer to move Ethier or Crawford (and maybe even Kemp), but they’ll be open to trading Pederson in the right deal.
Jonas Salk
How is Kemp tradable? Unless the Dodgers eat most of his salary I don’t see how it is possible to move a guy who is owed $118 million dollars over the next 5 years. That is the worst deal since Soriano’s from the Cubs. And to be honest, looking at the numbers Soriano was closer to being worth it than Kemp.
I Believe We Can Win
If they were to move Seager, Pederson, or Urias in a kemp deal they wouldn’t eat much salary if at all. If they really wanna get out from under that commitment they’ll need to part with prospects to do so. If not they’re giving kemp away for free to whomever they trade him to while eating 70-90 mill of his salary.
koufaxblue
The Giants missed out on Barney great pickup for the Dodgers.
vtadave
Not sure I’d say “great”. More like “decent”. 🙂
wkkortas
In comparison to Uggla, though…
Darmintak 2
Yeah, everyone looks great compared to Uggla.
bigbadjohnny
Uggla, what a brutal glove.
Cameron Harris
Dee Gordon has been takeing fly balls in center so he might move to center with a trade of kemp or eather
Let's go Dodgers
Not gonna happen. Dee has found a home at 2B and was an all star. Dodgers are not going to move an all star when we have a future star center fielder waiting in the minors
Baloo
Crawford not much better than a fourth outfielder these days, and Andre Either is awful, why not Gordon in center, Puig in left and Pederson in right? Kemp I think will indeed be moved. There’s Alex Guerrero to be accounted for as well.
Regardless, Dodgers are looking stacked right now. They’ve got major league talent, they’ve got minor league talent, and they have a payroll that rivals the Yankees. Ned Colletti must be grinning ear to ear. You can never have too much depth.
BlueSkyLA
You said it yourself, Crawford and Ethier are the odd men out. But it’s Kemp they should trade. Okay, that left me scratching my head.
Baloo
Kemp is consistently injury-prone but still has value, and his contract is an albatross. Plus he seems to want to get out of LA. Don’t think it has much to do with him not being an everyday player or a good piece to the Dodgers, but more personal than that.
BlueSkyLA
How many games did he miss to injury before colliding with a wall and fracturing his ankle sliding? I think you will find the answer to that question is “zero.” Plus, there’s nothing to the rumor that he wants to “get out of LA.” Also, the contract is has no bearing on whether the Dodgers need him in the lineup. Which, most certainly, they do.
thegrayrace
Not going to happen. Gordon has been incredible defensively at 2B, they’re not going to experiment with him in CF in the middle of a pennant race and weaken 2B defense (arguably a much more important defensive position) in the process.
The Dodgers have 6 outfielders in their system that could be starters – Crawford and Ethier the worst of the 6. If Puig doesn’t work out in CF, the Dodgers will probably put Pederson there. But the offense provided by Puig, Kemp, Van Slyke and potentially Pederson should offset the defensive liability of Puig or Pederson in CF.
Murray Rothbard
Injuries, they happen. Sharpening players skill at multiple positions and creating versatility is smart baseball. Look at Zobrist.
dieharddodgerfan
You’re probably joking, but I could see Dee being a quintessential CF. With his speed, he’d probably track down many balls that most couldn’t get to.
And if Dee could ever play both CF and 2B he’d be invaluable to a team like the Dodgers.
s7twoseven
You know, I’m thrilled that Barney’s going to get another shot somewhere. The poor guy sits down for 2 days for his wife to give birth and Alcantara steals his job. It was the right move for the Cubs obviously, but it’s got to suck getting Wally Pipp’ed like that
Jeff Snedden
Always been a fan of Barney, reminds me of a gritty 1950’s type player. Nice pickup by LA.
FOmeOLS
Orioles have three Darwin Barneys on the roster. Wishing him all the best, but very glad the Orioles didn’t follow up on their initial interest in him.
Baloo
Buck is all about defense, so it doesn’t surprise me that they would think about acquiring a guy like Barney.
Baloo
Buck is all about defense, so it doesn’t surprise me that they would think about acquiring a guy like Barney.
Shane Flannagan 2
Well that means the Dodgers are winning it all. ( Theriot – Cardinals and Fontenot – Giants)
xHoratiox
Do you think this means Alcantara stays up with the Cubs? Thoughts? I know they have him in center but also wondered if any Cubs fan know what his defense has looked like so far…
jb226 2
To my eye, he’s looked pretty good. I’m sure there is a lot to learn still, since he only just started playing the outfield this season in the minors. But he’s got a nice arm and good speed that makes up for the lack of experience.
And yes, I think he’s up all year. Not only that, I think he’s penciled into the starting lineup in 2015. I can’t envision anybody who knocks him off the roster.
Larry DePaoli
Alcantara has been splitting time at 2B with Valbuena (since Bonafacio returned from DL) and spending the rest of the time in the outfield. I suspect the Cubs will want Alcantera to work out in the OF more than 2B because Baez will be up soon (worth noting, Baez had spent some time in the OF before being promoted to Iowa. He is playing SS in Iowa). The other consideration is newly acquired Addison Russell (A’s top prospect for Samardzija) who, by trade, is a SS. Would stand to reason that somebody is getting traded. Doubtful that’s Alcantera.
JustFatOlMe
So,the Cubs had to pay someone to take Barney? Great deal,Theo! NOT
sourbob
They helped cover his salary–which they would have had to do if he were released anyway–and are getting a PTBNL. Actually, it is a good deal, they get a free player for a guy they were dumping either way.
JustFatOlMe
Any guess as to the talent level of said PTBNL?
sourbob
That may be in flux. Sometimes, teams have a handshake deal that the PTBNL will be chosen from agreed upon names based on how the other end of the trade goes. That is, it may be that if Barney sticks as a Dodger until the end of the year, the Cubs will get a slightly better player than if he ends up designated again in a few weeks.
It’s hard to imagine any case where the return for Barney is *that* good, though. Organizational depth, a too-old for his level guy with some good points and some problems, or a toolsy guy with terrible results in the low minors, most likely.
Shane Flannagan 2
Can you just get over the fact that Barney isn’t good? Tired of so called Cubs’ fans thinking he was good. The guy cant hit, period.
JustFatOlMe
Show me where I said he was any good.But he was on the payroll,so they should have gotten SOMETHING in return,even if it was just a bucket of used baseballs.
Mark Kelevara
They did, they got Jonathan Martinez, better than a bucket of balls!
JustFatOlMe
Yep,now we know that.
Mark Kelevara
Yes, yes we do.
AtomsAnts
The Dodgers saw how bad Uggla was the last three days and blocked the Giants. The A’s coulda used him, too.
bigbadjohnny
Cubs will not have to worry about second base for the next ten years with Baez at that position.
Gumby65
Nobody but the Dodgers needed the defensive 2nd baseman the calliber of Darwin Barney, what with the questions coming out of ST with Gordon, Guererro, etc… What? Gordon’s done OK? Gee, I wonder if another team in the NL West could have had him and his Gold Glove on the cheap… Surely, somebody had to do research and all…
Gregory J. Toma
They very well might have acquired him because a team they are in trade talk with over bigger names, liked Barney as part of a package deal.
Gumby65
Best part, Giants have Uggla starting at 2B, while Barney’s flight just got diverted to Albuquerque
BlueSkyLA
Optioned to triple-A. That was sort of a surprise.
mrshyguy99
maybe they want him to work on his bat for a few game before bring him up
BlueSkyLA
Did he bring a bat? Seriously, I figured Rojas goes down and Barney stays. Neither of them hit. That may happen yet.
mrshyguy99
well who knows the reason is but i doubt he will be down for long with the glove he has
mrshyguy99
well who knows the reason is but i doubt he will be down for long with the glove he has
Cdiaz
Probably dodgers would use barney as back up for hanley , couple of games at shortstop in triple A , then recall him.
Tko11
Seems like a pretty good return for Barney…Martinez has 91ks to 19 walks in 106 innings. Seems like those k/bb numbers are consistent in his career so far too.
DippityDoo
Ready for the trip to Daytona as well. He’s done a season of that at A ball.
Jonathan Barlock
Seems like Alex Rios to the Mariners is very likely now.
mrshyguy99
these are the type of trades dodgers needs
mrshyguy99
next trade get a guy like tommy milone
sherrilltradedooverexperience
cubs made out well