Barnes, 36, has spent his entire big-league career thus far with the Dodgers. For parts of eleven seasons, he consistently established himself as a strong defender behind the plate. His offense was never his carry, but was generally passable for long periods of time. From 2015 to 2022, in 1,357 at-bats, he hit 32 home runs and walked four at a strong 12.1% clip. His .225/.333/.358 hitting in that span led to a 93 wRC+. That shows he was 7% below league average, but that’s pretty decent for a catcher, especially as a backup.
But things have taken a turn for the worse lately, with Barnes producing a .217/.283/.272 line and 57 wRC+ from the start of the 2023 season to the present. That drop in offense came when he was pressured by other players. Will Smith took over the full-time catching job in 2020. Freddie Vrijman And Shohei Ohtani were later signed to cover first base and designated hitter respectively, leaving no option to move Smith elsewhere. The Dodgers wanted to promote the catching prospect Dalton hurry last year and pushed Barnes off the roster. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants last June but was released in August.
The Mets did that Francisco Alvarez And Luis Torrens will become their infectious duo at the big league level. Hayden Senger is on the 40-man but still has options, so he’s likely ticketed for a deep role at Triple-A. Barnes will likely go to Syracuse with Senger, giving the Mets a veteran they could potentially turn to if the big league catching group is decimated by an injury or two.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
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