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Darwin Barney

Rangers Hire Darwin Barney As Triple-A Manager

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Veteran infielder Darwin Barney will manage the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville next season, as per a team press release.  The 34-year-old Barney is taking on his first coaching or managerial job, following a playing career that saw him appear in parts of eight MLB seasons.

Barney hit .246/.294/.341 over 2759 career plate appearances and 814 career games with the Cubs, Dodgers, and Blue Jays from 2010-17.  While his numbers at the plate weren’t anything special, Barney’s outstanding glovework earned him a spot as Chicago’s regular second baseman in the early part of the decade.  Over 5113 career innings as a second baseman, Barney posted 53 Defensive Runs Saved and a +6.7 UZR/150.  The 2012 campaign saw Barney post the third-highest (28) DRS total of any second baseman in the last 20 seasons, and Barney was duly was awarded a Gold Glove for his work that year.

Beyond the keystone, Barney also played third base and shortstop as he moved into a utility role later in his career, even amassing 50 innings as a left fielder for the 2016-17 Blue Jays.  Barney signed on with the Rangers on a minor league deal prior to the 2018 season, but was released during Spring Training and didn’t catch on with any other clubs.

As per Baseball Reference, Barney earned roughly $10.25MM over his career.  We at MLBTR wish Barney congratulations on a fine career and wish him all the best as he embarks on the next phase of his baseball life as a manager.

Rangers Release Darwin Barney, Erik Goeddel

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The Rangers have granted the releases of both infielder Darwin Barney and righty Erik Goeddel, the club announced today. Both will return to the open market in search of a better opportunity with another organization.

Barney, 32, was left without much of a path to the Rangers roster when the team decided to hold onto Jurickson Profar as a utility infielder. Though he has spent most of his career at second base, where he’s a decorated defender, Barney has also seen action on the left side of the infield in recent seasons. The eight-year MLB veteran is a career .246/.294/.341 hitter.

As for Goeddel, 29, he has shown an ability to get some swings and misses in the majors, reaching a 15.2% swinging-strike rate in 2017. But he has also run into increasing problems with the long ball in recent years. Last year, he allowed more than two homers per inning at both the Triple-A and MLB levels.

Rangers Sign Darwin Barney To Minor League Contract

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TODAY: Barney would earn $1.25MM in the majors, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets, with an additional $500K of potential incentive pay. His contract also includes an opt-out opportunity on March 24th.

YESTERDAY: The Rangers announced that they’ve signed veteran infielder Darwin Barney to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.  He’s represented by CAA Baseball.

Barney, 32, has spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jays and seen quite a bit of action at the middle infield positions following frequent injuries to Devon Travis and Troy Tulowitzki. The slick-fielding Barney has totaled +7 Defensive Runs Saved and a +8.8 Ultimate Zone Rating in 383 innings of shortstop action over the course of his big league career, and those same metrics are even more bullish on his work at second base (+53, +37.3 in 5113 innings). His prowess at second base earned him an NL Gold Glove with the Cubs back in 2012 when he was the primary second baseman in Chicago.

However, for all of his defensive accolades, Barney doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of offensive firepower. In 694 plate appearances with the Jays, he posted an anemic .251/.298/.357 batting line — numbers that only slightly outpace his career .246/.294/.341 slash through 2759 plate appearances.

With the Rangers, he’ll compete for a utility infield job, though he’ll have an uphill battle to climb in that regard as things currently stand. At present, the Rangers figure to have Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor starting at third base, shortstop and second base, respectively, with the out-of-options Jurickson Profar penciled in for the utility spot. Since Profar can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to waivers (where he’d obviously be claimed by another club), there isn’t exactly a clear path to even semi-regular at-bats for Barney (barring an injury or a trade). But, he’ll give the Rangers a nice depth option in camp and possibly in Triple-A early in the year.

It’s not a given that he’ll head to Triple-A Round Rock even if he doesn’t make the team, though; many veterans of this nature will negotiate the right to ask for their release during Spring Training into their contract. And, as an Article XX (B) free agent that signed a minor league contract, he’d be owed a $100K retention bonus at the end of Spring Training if the Rangers did elect to keep him around.

Blue Jays Avoid Arbitration With Darwin Barney, Ezequiel Carrera

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6:24pm: Outfielder Ezequiel Carrera has also settled with the Jays, per Heyman (via Twitter). He’ll receive $1,162,500 — just shy of his $1.2MM projection.

6:08pm: The Blue Jays have settled on a contract figure with infielder Darwin Barney, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter link). He’ll earn $2.8875MM in 2017.

Once the regular second baseman for the Cubs, Barney had steadily seen his MLB opportunities fall over the last 2014 and 2015 seasons. But after a pit stop with the Dodgers, the 31-year-old has found a home with Toronto after re-signing with the organization for one year and $1.05MM last winter. He appeared in over 100 games in 2016, slashing .369/.322/.373 over 306 plate appearances while providing value with the glove.

Now in his final year of arbitration eligibility, Barney will earn quite a bit more than the $1.6MM that MLBTR’s arbitration model projected. That’s likely because his camp could have argued for a higher starting point — namely, his $2.525MM arb salary from 2015 — upon which to add a raise.

Devon Travis To Miss Rest Of Postseason

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SUNDAY: An MRI on Travis’ knee revealed a bone bruise with a small flap of cartilage caught in the joint, according to the Blue Jays. A knee scope is likely for Travis, whom the team expects to be ready for Spring Training.

SATURDAY: Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis’ season is over after suffering a knee injury, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star was among those to report (Twitter links: 1 2 3). Travis has been replaced on the Jays’ ALCS roster by Justin Smoak.

Notably, Travis had already suffered a knee injury this postseason, having suffered a bone bruise during the ALDS. Jays GM Ross Atkins claims, though, that Travis’ current knee troubles are unrelated, a condition that had to be met for Major League Baseball to approve a roster change at this point. MLB postseason roster rules also state that a player who has been replaced in the middle of a series due to an injury cannot play for the rest of the postseason, which means Travis can’t return for the World Series, should the Blue Jays advance.

Travis hit .300/.332/.454 in 432 plate appearances in the regular season. He has batted 1-for-12 this postseason, sharing playing time at second with Darwin Barney. Barney and Ryan Goins will presumably handle second base in his absence.

Blue Jays Re-Sign Darwin Barney

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve re-signed second baseman Darwin Barney  to a one-year, Major League deal worth $1.05MM.

Barney, 30, spent most of the 2015 season in the minors with the Dodgers but wound up in Toronto in September to fill in for the injured Devon Travis. Barney batted .304/.333/.609 in a tiny sample of 26 plate appearances but is a career .246/.294/.339 hitter in parts of six big league seasons (2091 plate appearances). Most of Barney’s value is derived from his glove, where he’s drawn strong reviews from defensive metrics and won an NL Gold Glove Award (2012) over the course of his career. With Travis set to miss the beginning of next season following shoulder surgery, Barney will serve as a depth piece and a likely option at second base early in the season for manager John Gibbons.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first reported the deal (Twitter link).

Elected Free Agency: Carlos Corporan, Darwin Barney

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As teams continue to go through the process of end-of-season 40-man roster maintenance, outrighted players will continue to elect free agency, expanding the available pool of talent this offseason. Here are today’s notable players to elect free agency…

  • Rangers catcher Carlos Corporan and outfielder Antoan Richardson have refused outright assignments and elected free agency, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Corporan served as a backup to Robinson Chirinos this season but batted just .178/.244/.299 with three homers in 121 plate appearances. Corporan is a career .218/.280/.342 hitter in parts of six big league seasons (780 plate appearances). He’d have been arbitration eligible this winter, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $1.2MM salary. Richardson, 32, underwent surgery late in spring training to repair a herniated disk in his back. He has limited big league experience but is a prolific and efficient base-stealer in his minor league career.
  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports that Darwin Barney has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Blue Jays. Barney, a fixture in the Cubs’ infield from 2010-14, came to the Blue Jays by way of trade from the Dodgers in September. Toronto had a need at second base with Devon Travis again sidelined by injuries, and Barney was picked up to fill that role despite the fact that being acquired after Sept. 1 made him ineligible for the postseason. Barney spent most of the season in Triple-A with the Dodgers, where he batted .277/.325/.354. He has an excellent defensive reputation and won an NL Gold Glove Award in 2012.

Blue Jays Claim Pat Venditte, Designate Darwin Barney

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The Blue Jays announced today that they’ve claimed switch-pitcher Pat Venditte off waivers from the Athletics. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Darwin Barney has been designated for assignment. Venditte isn’t eligible to pitch in the postseason with Toronto.

As an ambidextrous pitcher, the 30-year-old Venditte grabbed quite a few headlines in Oakland when he made his big league debut earlier this season. Venditte logged 28 2/3 innings with the A’s in the Majors, totaling a 4.40 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 32.9 percent ground-ball rate. Venditte was hit hard by right-handed hitters — particularly in the few instances where he had to face them as a left-handed pitcher. However, he excelled in lefty-lefty matchups, limiting opponents to a .116/.188/.256 batting line in such situations.

Formerly a 20th-round pick by the Yankees in 2008, Venditte also grinded his way through eight minor league seasons before emerging at the Major League level in Oakland this year. His minor league track record is exceptional, as he’s worked to a 2.39 ERA, averaging 10.0 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 along the way. Venditte doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging just 84.6 mph and sitting in the mid-80s from each side. However, that hasn’t limited his effectiveness in the minors, and the Blue Jays will hope that he can be a contributor for him in future seasons. If nothing else, he’s a nice depth piece for a team that is currently slated to lose LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe to free agency.

The 29-year-old Barney, a fixture in the Cubs’ infield from 2010-14, came to the Blue Jays by way of trade from the Dodgers in September. Toronto had a need at second base with Devon Travis again sidelined by injuries, and Barney was picked up to fill that role despite the fact that being acquired after Sept. 1 made him ineligible for the postseason. Barney spent most of the season in Triple-A with the Dodgers, where he batted .277/.325/.354. While those numbers don’t exactly leap off the page, Barney’s calling card has long been his defense at second base, where he won a Gold Glove in 2012. He also has experience at shortstop and third base.

Blue Jays Acquire Darwin Barney

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2:53pm: The Blue Jays will send Double-A catcher Jack Murphy to the Dodgers to complete the trade, Bill Plunkett of the Orange Country Register tweets.  Murphy, 27, has spent the year in Double-A New Hampshire.  He owns a slash line of .220/.309/.315 through 328 plate appearances this year.

9:05am: The Blue Jays announced that they have acquired Darwin Barney from the Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  As a post-August 31st acquisition, Barney will not be eligible for postseason play.

Barney, 29, appeared in two games for the Dodgers this season and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A.  At Oklahoma City, Barney slashed .277/.325/.354 with four homers and seven steals across 96 games.  For his career, Barney has a .245/293/.336 major league batting line in parts of six seasons with the Cubs and Dodgers.

Of course, the 2012 National League Gold Glove Award winner has more of a reputation for his defensive work than his hitting.  For his career, Barney owns a strong 12.9 UZR/150 rating at the second base position.  He also has 149 2/3 innings experience at shortstop, where he has graded out with a 40.0 UZR/150, albeit in a very limited sample size.

Barney will join the Blue Jays in New York for today’s contest against the Yankees.

Minor Moves: Morris, Barney, Wilson

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Mets are calling up right-hander Akeel Morris from Single-A St. Lucie, the club announced, and the 22-year-old will be activated before tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jays.  Morris was a 10th-round draft pick in 2010 and has never pitched above the high-A level — his only high-A experience comes in 31 relief innings for St. Lucie this season.  That said, Morris has been a dominant bullpen arm, posting a 1.74 ERA, 12.8 K/9 and 3.14 K/BB rate this year and recording 12 saves.  The 2015 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Morris as the 19th-best prospect in the Mets’ system before the season, noting his plus changeup and a 92-94mph fastball.
  • The Dodgers have outrighted infielder Darwin Barney to Triple-A, according to MLB.com’s official transactions page.  Barney was designated for assignment on Friday to create 40-man roster space for the newly-acquired Ronald Torreyes.  Barney has only appeared in two big league games in 2015, and he has struggled to a .214/.273/.259 slash line over 121 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • Also from the MLB.com transactions listing, the Rays outrighted catcher Bobby Wilson to Triple-A Durham.  Wilson has a .349 OPS over 59 PA with the Rays this season and was designated for assignment on Thursday.
  • Now that Barney and Wilson have been outrighted, that leaves six players in “limbo,” as per the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker.  Trevor Cahill (Braves), Matt Dominguez (Astros), Erik Kratz (Royals), J.C. Ramirez (Diamondbacks), Tim Stauffer (Twins), and Rickie Weeks (Mariners) are all awaiting their next assignment.
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