The Giants have signed catcher Austin Barnes to a minor league deal, as per Barnes’ MLB.com profile page (hat tip to FanSided’s Jeff Young). Barnes has been assigned not to Triple-A but to the Giants’ Arizona Complex League team, likely for a ramp-up period before heading to a higher affiliate.
The backstop’s 11-season run with the Dodgers ended when Los Angeles released Barnes back in May. Should Barnes make the Giants’ roster, San Francisco will owe him only the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, and the Dodgers will be on the hook for the remainder of the $3.5MM salary Barnes was owed for the 2025 season.
San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey knows a thing or two about catching, so the idea of adding another respected veteran to the team’s catching ranks behind the plate probably held some particular appeal for the Giants, especially at virtually no cost. Adding a former longtime member of the Giants’ arch-rival might also provide an added bonus if Barnes can share a few secrets from his long stint in Dodger Blue.
Starting catcher Patrick Bailey is an elite defender who has struggled badly with the bat this season, and Andrew Knizner has provided even less offense since his contract was selected to the big league roster earlier this month. Sam Huff and Logan Porter provided little in limited duty this season, and Porter remains on the Giants’ 40-man roster while Huff was outrighted following a DFA earlier this month. Max Stassi, Huff, and now Barnes are experienced catchers in the minor league pipeline that the Giants would have to add to the 40-man in order to bring them up to the Major League roster.
Barnes would likely not bring much in the way of offense himself, as the 35-year-old has a career slash line of .223/.322/.338 over 1757 career plate appearances in the Show. Barnes’ numbers dipped to just a .518 OPS over 44 PA this season when the Dodgers opted to designate and then release Barnes to make way for top prospect Dalton Rushing as Will Smith’s new backup.
While Barnes has had his share of moments at the plate over the years, he has carved out his long career as a defensive specialist. Long regarded as a strong blocker, pitch-framer, and handler of pitchers, Barnes unofficially acted as Clayton Kershaw’s personal catcher for years, even when such catchers as Smith or Yasmani Grandal were the established starters in L.A.
Assuming he is selected to the Giants active roster in due course, Barnes will go from working with Kershaw to another future Hall-of-Famer in Justin Verlander, not to mention ace Logan Webb and former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray. Barnes’ veteran knowhow might also be helpful in mentoring younger rotation arms like Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp, who have been tasked with greater responsibility in pitching key innings for a Giants team that is trying to contend for the playoffs.
We sign catchers to minor league deals. Get over it.
Posey not very good at it.
Nooooooooo
I’m very surprised he gets paid millions to stay at home why take a minor league spot
I’m always surprised by the number of baseball fans who don’t understand that baseball players like to play baseball.
A 90 year old Tommy Lasorda had more offense than Austin Barnes.
A 90-year old Tommy Lasorda and Austin Barnes can at least play better than you, DarrenDreifortsContract.
Getting emotional over a 35 year old backup minor league catcher.
Crazy times we live in.
Not really emotional, it’s just the truth of the matter.
That’s because DarrenDreifortsContract ability dried up before the pen was manufactured
A 90 year old Tommy couldn’t squat and call a game like Barnes though
But he surely could annoy the plate umpire.
Kershaw’s old catcher? Buster really scraping the bottom of the barrel w/ this one
I miss the old giants-dodgers rivalry it hasn’t been the same since 2021
You traitor, if you were signing to a minors deal, why not come back to LA?!
yeah I’m sure he can get his old job back
If anyone was a traitor it was the Dodgers for cutting Barnes instead of Conforto. And based on Rushing’s hitting, Kim deserves the at-bats more. Outfield of Teo, Andy and Tommy. Infield of Fred, Mook, Max, Will and Hyeseong.
Good luck to Barnes, he has multiple rings and earned the right to play wherever he wants – though surely as a backup.
He has multiple rings because he was along for the ride with some very talented teams. He’s a run-of-the-mill backup catcher, nothing more. Conforto has more value, even in an off year.
They are both ground to second for the third out specialists
For his career more than a minors catcher throughout his years with the Dodgers he was a decent backup… now I’m not so sure. But might as well take a flier on him
Great. The Giants are one of worst hitting teams in MLB
And they already have a catch only guy who can’t hit a lick in Bailey
And now they sign Barnes. A catch only guy that LAD just released that also can’t hit a lick
Why are you so obsessively against the Giants? With a Greg Luzinski avatar to boot.
Yeah, but Bailey is the game’s best defensive catcher, so it’s best to pencil him in more.
Barnes was hitting better than Bailey, which is the scary part
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 Dodger fan here. But good on you Austin hopefully you get another crack at the big leagues
A whole lot of hand wringing over a minor league backup catcher.
No hand wringing from me, but if he ever suits up in a Giants uniform it will sure look strange on him.
That’s the kind of players they love around here. Austin Barnes, Adam Frazier, JD Davis, Chris Taylor, Chris Flexen, Dakota Hudson, etc. A bunch of has-beens and never-weres. You’d think they were MVPs from reading the comments on here over the years. And they hate on guys who have real talent like ONeil Cruz and Luis Robert.
“That’s the kind of players they love around here”
… white guys?
When I read “Andrew Bailey” I thought our pitching coach was back LOL. Don’t worry we all make mistakes.
Anybody but the battery chucking Giants! Barnes will no doubt get a walk-off hit off a Dodger reliever.
I wish Sam nothing but the best!
Third catcher for the playoffs, when teams typically drop their fifth starter and sometimes even one of their relievers. It lets them pinch hit for Bailey in a close game with RISP and still have a premium defensive catcher for a few innings.
If Barnes happens to live in Arizona, he might not even get to AAA until mid-August, just hang out at home and go work out with the ACL team and act as an extra coach.