5:55pm: The deal also includes roster bonuses, with $250K available if Barnette breaks camp on the active roster and again if he lasts there for 155 days of the season, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). There’s also a quarter-million-dollar incentives package.
It’s worth noting, too, that if the Cubs do pick up the option, they’ll be required to release Barnette thereafter rather than tendering him a contract and offering arbitration.
3:04pm: The Cubs have now announced the Barnette signing.
2:40pm: The Cubs and right-handed reliever Tony Barnette have agreed to a one-year contract with a club option for the 2020 season, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links). Barnette will receive a $750K salary for the 2019 season and has a club option valued at $3MM for a second season, per Gonzales. Barnette is represented by Wasserman.
Additionally, Gonzales tweets that lefty Ian Clarkin cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa. That move wasn’t made to accommodate the addition of Barnette, though, as the Cubs already had a spot open on the 40-man roster.
Barnette, 35, pitched brilliantly for the Rangers in 2018 but had his season truncated by shoulder issues. The right-hander logged a 2.39 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9 and a 51.4 percent ground-ball rate in 26 1/3 innings but made his final appearance on July 3.
That season wrapped up an uneven three-year stint with the Rangers organization for Barnette, whose track record is among the more unique in today’s game. A 10th-round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2006, Barnette spent four years toiling in the Diamondbacks’ system before accepting an offer to go pitch for the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. That initial one-year offer was parlayed into a six-year run with Yakult, where Barnette emerged as one of the top closers in Japan. He saved 97 games there after ascending to that role and pitched to a 1.29 ERA in his final season there before signing a big league deal with the Rangers.
The righty justified the hype surrounding him with a 2.09 ERA in 60 1/3 innings during his rookie season, but he was clobbered for a 5.49 ERA a year later in 2017 as he also dealt with finger injuries. In all, Barnette comes to the Cubs with a long track record of success in Asia and a 3.50 ERA with a 132-to-43 K/BB ratio in 144 Major League innings — all with Texas.
The Cubs’ budgetary constraints this offseason are well known, as the team had to trade Drew Smyly and his $7MM salary to the Rangers simply to pick up their option on Cole Hamels. Since that time, the team’s only expenditures have been small deals for utility infielder Daniel Descalso, right-hander Brad Brach and now Barnette. While the limitations are an understandable point of contention for fans who’d hoped to see ownership support a run at a franchise-altering talent like Bryce Harper, the front office has seemingly done well in adding a pair of potentially useful setup men (Brach and Barnette) for a combined total south of $6MM.
As for Clarkin, he’s a former first-round pick (No. 33 by the Yankees in 2013) that has bounced back and forth via waivers between the Cubs and White Sox on multiple occasions this winter. Clarkin was hit hard in 68 innings of Double-A ball last year, turning in a 4.98 ERA with nearly as many walks (4.1 BB/9) as strikeouts (4.6 K/9), and he’ll now stick with his new organization and likely head to Major League Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
Where does Chatwood or even Duensing end up with all these moves?
How do they represent in Mesa?
The trash can!!
Seeing as how they’re both hot garbage…..who really cares?
It looks like the Cubs expect to be shuttling relief pitchers back and forth from Chicago to Iowa!
It’s how it works, now.
Pretty much how every bullpen works. A closer, a set up, and 2-3 other guys who can be relied upon in moderate leverage situations. The rest is a revolving door to and fro AAAA.
That imo should be a bigger concern for the PA than worrying about the top end guys not getting decade+ long deals.
That along with pitchers being place on the DL for fathom injuries that don’t exist.
Lol What is a “fathom” injury?
Underwater injury.
He has a lisp, he was trying to say spasm.
Despite your condescension, the Cubs had a ton of success utilizing this exact strategy last season. Having a worthwhile, season-long bullpen is more than just having three shutdown guys at the end of games when you have the lead.
Like they had a choice last year. The bullpen was NOT reliable overall.
And the White Sox still suck.
Bullpen was not reliable? Cubs played mostly tight games the last couple month due to there crumbling offense and bullpen held what lead they got together majority of the time. Bullpen while not flashy in anyway, got the job done.
2018 bullpen ERA:
HOU, 3.03
CHC, 3.35
OAK, 3.37
NYY, 3.38
MIL, 3.47
The Cubs bullpen also allowed the fewest HRs in MLB last season. This is with their closer missing half the season and several other injuries to important bullpen members down the stretch. So, I have to ask, what is your definition of reliable, exactly?
No ones ever accused a White Sox fan of being smart
Inb4 ChiSox links it to RBI somehow
That is true, also White Sox fans should be nervous that Machado is waiting for a better offer from a team he rather play with than the White Sox
42 games in 41 days doesnt help that either. They were exhausted to say the least. They were the only team in baseball to have one day off the entire month of September
“No ones ever accused a White Sox fan of being smart”
It would be redundant.
Machado is waiting for a better offer from another team. What an astute observation…
Keep those excuses coming. Your gonna need more of them next year.
Yeah, season stats mean everything to a novice. Aside from Strop, Cishek and Marrow who can’t get through a full season, who was reliable in the Cubs’ bullpen? I watch every single game (MLB Ticket), so I’ll give you a hint: nobody. Their bullpen got exposed down the stretch (could not hold a lead to save their life). I would expect you all to know that, being #Cubsdrones and all, but I know you people barely watch the games or pay attention enough to know what I’m talking about.
You should be nervous about the Cardinals, Brewers and Reds coming for that @##, especially with that shallow bullpen. The Cubs did absolutely nothing to get better. Brach is a marginal upgrade to Justin Wilson, who was awful.
Monty will be back in the pen
“Stats don’t matter” – the White Sox guy
Only on cubs articles will you see themed. Knows nothing about baseball except that he hates the Cubs.
Thank you!
OK, ChiSox you made me look—“Their bullpen got exposed down the stretch (could not hold a lead to save their life).” Fact—the LAST time the Cubs bullpen couldn’t hold a lead and they lost was September 8th—game 142……..so “down the stretch”—the last 21 games—–the bullpen didn’t blow a game. So if you watch every single game, you went almost an entire month watching and waiting for the Cubs bullpen to blow a game and they didn’t.
I can certainly respect any opinion that you have, but please don’t post things that are not facts. There happen to be educated fans out here.
Ah yes, the ‘i watch the games and thats worth more than an entire seasons worth of data that actually has some objective value’ argument…
Also known as the worst argument known to mankind…
Steve trachsel was so bad they had him pitch the home run derby
Nearly everyone was reliable in the Cubs ‘pen last season. That’s why they finished the season 36-18 with the lowest ERA in the NL, whilst allowing the fewest HRs in all of MLB. I’m not sure how you’re doubling down on being this wrong. Perhaps it’s time you considered a run for office where you’ll fit in better.
Burn
Coming from a Yankees fan that’s funny. If the Sox weren’t singled out by all the umpires in the league especially Joe west they would have more titles than your precious Yankees
Good signing for a guy who was pretty dominant 2 out of the past 3 seasons and still put up solid peripherals in his down year. Theo seems to be a lot better with minor signings than major ones.
That’s every GM, that’s why there’s been a major shift in signing players. Sign several players and you spread the risk out instead of putting all your eggs in one basket
You can make a lot more of them so you get more chances to look good
When the article said he was 35, I thought “
How could I completely miss a guy for 10 years?” Glad to see he was a 32 year old rookie. Guess I have seen a lot of Rangers games the last few years!
surprised the white sox didnt claim clarkin again
Don’t want him anymore, no ties to Machado.
For the sake of sake. Why would he sign a multi year deal with a team that his buddy and brother in law are on who only are there for one season?
his buddy and brother and law are there in the one year they think they’re gonna suck. they have confidence in their prospects and expect to be competitive in 2020. whether it plays out like that, we’ll see.
so their pitch to manny is probably take hundreds of millions of dollars, hang out with your friends in the one year we’re bad, lead our prospects into the playoffs after that, and if that fails, opt out.
and not like it matters, but yonder is under contract for 2 years.
I’m not even sold yoan will even pan out
And it’s important for him to produce immediately, not wavering around in some “adjustment period” where his production drops.
Q: “Why would he sign a multi year deal …”
A: Money, moola, oof, spondulics, scratch, gelt, green, bank notes, wampum, legal tender, cash, coin, shekels, greenbacks, simoleons, kale, cabbage, lettuce, jack, assets, dinero, marks, pesos, affluence, euros, dollahs, francs, grease, doowacky, fortune, wonga, rubles, yen, krona, lucre, cashola, rials, pounds, rands, riches, equity, mazuma, boodle, kelp, dash, legal tender, ready, bread, dough, loot, change, notes, bills, currency, onion skins, income, finances, liquid, pop, bash, coinage, dead presidents, folding money, specie, scrip, resources, wealth, riches, fortune, affluence, security, dirham, oil, resources, substance, means, deep pockets, prosperity, wad, gravy, stuff, brass, lolly, loot, swag, jack, splosh, green, Oscar, tin, silver, coinage, bills, gold, sterling, platinum, wealth, riches, affluence, assets, liquid assets, resources, substance, means, deep pockets, worth, equity, capital, prosperity, financial gain, moneta, mint, pay, salary, wages, remuneration, fees, stipend, emoluments, plates, pin money, savings, stash, stockpile, salt, cache, bills, funds, gravy, fat, bounty, roll, banknotes, bankroll, wealth, treasure, wherewithal, hard cash, bucks, legal tender, swatch, skip, coinage, slap, specie, Bens, chips, almighty dollars.
He may want max money but no one does that for a loser. Unless there is a bright future and I don’t see it
I could not care less who was on my team if it were me. Is that really important when you are getting paid like this, or in any job really? If you do your job and hustle without whining like a b…., then your teammates will become your friends.
He’s the new Gio Gonzalez.
Dumpster Divin’ Theo!
K.
Good depth signing
lol
Downvoted
Not dumpster diving at all!
Hate to lose him from Texas
Again….the Cubs are the home of misfit relievers! Seriously pay $750K to a 35 year old relief pitcher who threw 22 innings last year.
22 successful innings. 750K is just above league minimum. Jesse Chavez, Jorge de la Rosa, Brian Duensing, were all ‘misfit relievers’ to come to Chicago and then have success. Strategy is better than overpaying for Mark Melancon/Wade Davis who have gone on to have underwhelming post-contract seasons.
Strategy is better when it gets you to the WS. These dumpster signings won’t get you there, but I’m sure you know that deep down inside. And your ok with that, because they finally won a WS this century, so you can die happy now.
You could just, ya know, that last part of your comment. We’d all be happy.
Sox can get back Ian.
Again, if they want.
Oops. I guess they would now have to trade for him. I see he cleared waivers.
Should’ve brought back Chavez.
I prefer the Barnette contract to the Chavez one.
Still no left handed help…
Montgomery, Duensing, Rosario?
Watch out for Justin Steel. He could be ready for the power lefty role out of the pen.
Personally I’m just disappointed that this is how the saga of Ian Clarkin ends…
If Clarkin doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder by now, not sure what it’ll take:)
Theo and all his crap signings has turned this team into a joke. Boston has done great without him and maybe the Cubs need to start thinking of bidding him farewell
I don’t mind my team being a 95 win ‘joke’, I must admit
They were a joke the last two games they played.
So were the Cardinals
Some people only focus on the negative. Theo broke the curse for God’s sake.
Theo broke the curse? That’s only verifiable if they win a WS within the next 108 years. Law of averages and all.
Lol this poor guy Clarkin.
Underrated pick up. Barnett’s was very solid in Texas. I imagine he’ll be even better pitching for a contender and being coached by anyone other than Brocail.
Signing someone for the league minimum because no one else would isn’t a underrated pick up..it’s called no one else offered me a contract.
I’m predicting a couple of surprises coming from triple, double A this year that help transform the pen. There are a few interesting arms w/velo who could finally be ready. For the first time under Theo, a glut of quality arms at both levels.
I feel bad for Ian Clarkin. He’s good enough to be every team’s 40th man on their 40-man roster. Hope he finds a real home soon.
“…with $250K available if Barnette breaks camp…”
“There’s also a quarter-million-dollar incentives package.”
Why not just type “$250K” in both places (in the same paragraph) and rephrase the last sentence?