Veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart is drawing interest from teams in need of catching depth, per Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. Alexander adds that the Astros and Diamondbacks are among the teams with interest in Barnhart’s services.
Barnhart, 33 in January, was selected in the tenth round of the 2009 draft by the Reds and made his big league debut with the club back in 2014. A veteran of ten major league seasons, Barnhart has fashioned a lengthy major league career as a glove-first option behind the plate. Though he has never posted a wRC+ higher than 90 in his career and sports a career slash line of just .217/.289/.312, Barnhart emerged as one of the better defensive catchers in the league over his time in the majors. His +8 Fielding Run Value (per Statcast) in 2021 was tied for the third-best figure among all catchers that season, behind only Sean Murphy and Buster Posey. Combined with an 81 wRC+ in 2021 that was roughly average for a catcher that season, Barnhart had the look of a decent regular behind the plate when he was swapped from the Reds to the Tigers that offseason.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse for the veteran from there. Barnhart’s 2022 season was the worst offensive campaign he had delivered since his 21-game cup of coffee in the majors during the 2014 season. That said, Barnhart’s reputation as a quality defender behind the plate earned the veteran a two-year deal with the Cubs in free agency following the 2022 campaign despite his weak .221/.287/.267 slash line in 94 games with the Tigers.
That two-year pact proved to be a blunder on Chicago’s part, as Barnhart’s offense collapsed even further with a wRC+ of just 53 in 2023. Among players with at least as many major league plate appearances as Barnhart (123) in 2023, just 23 hitters posted a worse offensive season by that metric. Barnhart’s struggles and the emergence of youngster Miguel Amaya behind the plate in Chicago led the Cubs to designate Barnhart for assignment in mid-August. He caught on with the Dodgers on a minor league deal shortly thereafter but did not crack the club’s 40-man roster down the stretch, leaving him to return to free agency this winter.
While Barnhart appears to be a fringe option for even a backup role at this stage of his career, his decade of experience at the major league level and solid defensive reputation behind the plate could make him a worthwhile depth option for a club short on big league caliber catchers. Both Arizona and Houston fit that description, as each club has just two catchers on their 40-man roster with minimal depth in the upper minors. Barnhart is still owed $3.25MM from the Cubs in 2024 thanks to his aforementioned two-year pact with the club. That means that he could be a particularly valuable depth option for clubs as he would only need to be paid the pro-rated big league minimum for any time spent on the 40-man roster next year, allowing a payroll-conscious organization to cover for an injury to their primary catching tandem on the cheap.
I Prefer Az Trading For Victor Caratini
He’s a free agent
Pretty sure they can just sign him.
If you prefer them trading for Caratini, I’m pretty sure they could trade for Mike Piazza just as easily.
Amaya-the king of HBP!
He signed a 2 year deal worth $6.5M. That’s not a blunder.
Perhaps a slight overpay but never a blunder. Giving Joc Pederson a QO last season was a blunder. Signing Ross Stripling to a 2 year/$25M deal was a blunder. You can see the motif, right? The trifecta: signing Conforto to a 2 year/$36M deal was a….blunder.
The guy who signed off on all those transactions kept his job while his really really really good looking manager got fired for said blunders.
BLUE STEEL!
Baseball needs to go all the way, and add another D.H. position for the catcher. Let the catchers earn the big money too for doing the catching with no other judgements on ability. You would not have to add another two people to the rosters as you now have 4 players on the bench now.
The way the system is now the catchers are getting cheated out of the big money for the most demanding position in baseball. It’s long past time to fix it. Most everyone tried it as kids and it’s the most uncomfortable position to be in. Teams have utility guys everywhere, and also guys that can only hit. Why must catchers be forced to hit to make decent money, when they are outstanding at catching, which very few can do ?
Baseball needs to fix it. They need to do it. They would not be prevented from having the rare catcher that can hit good hit. They would have that choice to do so.
Absurd.
I don’t care who the Astros get so long as we don’t bring Maldonado back.
OK I hear you, but this guy isn’t an improvement over Maldonado. The good news is whoever they acquire won’t be getting the majority of the starts
Say you don’t know anything about baseball without saying you don’t know anything about baseball!
Worst comment I’ve ever heard, completely disrespecting one the best true catchers to play in this era.
Very few catchers have the ability to speak pitcher, Maldonado is one of those rare unicorns. Yan Gomes, Martin Maldonado, Yadi Molina are the three names that jump as guys who’s value had and have absolutely nothing to do with what they do at the plate, nor can they be judged by traditional defensive stats. These guys shave a good 1/2 run off their starting staffs rotation.
Oh yeah Maldonado is great… except for the fact that the pitchers have a higher ERA when he catches, except for the fact that he led MLB passed balls, except for the fact that he can’t throw out runners, except for the fact that he can’t manage to hit .200. Oh yeah, he’s such a great leader except he can’t come to camp in shape and he never runs hard to first base. Except for all those facts he’s great!
Should have kept Ali Sanchez.
I don’t understand why. He can’t hit at all anymore, and his defense isn’t nearly good enough to justify such a weak bat.
Barnyard!
Pirates have a gently used Jason Delay they may be willing to part with, and Jake Meyers, who has been in trade rumors, would look nice in PNC Park’s center field next year.
Trade Astros Jake Meyers for Giants Blake Sabol.
Sabol can catch and also play left field & first base.
Giants need a center fielder.
Jake is a good centerfielder who can hit better than the way he has the last two years since his shoulder injury. My concern with Sabol is that he only threw out 7 of 37 would-be-base stealers last year. I know there’s more that goes into that statistic than just the catchers arm string so I will reserve judgment on that. He’s got some pop, he hits left-handed, and like you mentioned he can do more than just catch. It looks like it could benefit both clubs…
As much as I would like that for the Astros, I don’t think either team would go for it. Sabol is young and trying to prove himself as a starter, while the Astros are on the lookout for a veteran backup catcher to compliment and mentor Diaz. The giants would be better off just going in on Lee for a center fielder to fill that role. I don’t really think the giants can afford to trade catcher depth at this moment either.
I wouldn’t give Tucker a single AB. Better to give them ABs to an up and comer than to him. Ain’t no fruit gonna grow on that tree. Better to look for one that has a chance bearing some.