Infielder Jose Barrero and the Orioles have been reunited for a new Minor League deal for 2026, according to Franchs Romero van Beisbolfr. Barrero had signed a Minor League deal with the club in July, but this new deal reunits him with the O’s before 2026 and contains an invitation for the Major League Spring Training.
Barrero, 27, has appeared in five major League seasons, but with limited playing time in each. He has appeared in a total of 161 games with a barrel .182/.238/.257. He has nine stolen bases and caused defensive versatility. He has main class experience on the three Infield spots to the left of the first base, as well as the middle and right field.
Picking up Barrero is a bet more on his past prospect tree tree. Baseball America Arrange him as one of the top 100 prospects in the competition in both 2021 and 2022, when he was with the Reds. He placed a .303/.380/.539 line in the minors in 2021, production that translated into a WRC+ of 142.
Since then it has been turbulent. As mentioned, main class looks are not much led. His Minor League numbers also ended. He exhausted his last option season in 2023. The Reds brought him remotely in March 2024. He was claimed by the Rangers, although that club succeeded in passing him through their exemptions shortly thereafter. He spent most of that year on the injured list of the Minor League. He only received 49 games and cut .188/.277/.345 in it.
He drew a Minor League deal with the cardinals who arrived in 2025 and started the season in good shape. He had a .299/.396/.517 line in Triple-A when the cards called him at the end of April, although they didn’t play much. He was on the Roster for about two months, but only had 31 record performances and hit .138/.194/.276 in that sporadic playing time.
He was designated for allocation, released exemptions and chosen free agency, when he signed his aforementioned Minor League deal with the Orioles. He produced a rough .190/.261/.344 line for Triple-a Norfolk along the piece. Despite those figures, the O is apparently enough of Barrero to bring him back to a non-grid capacity and to see what will happen next year. He has had some ups and downs, but is still only 27, so maybe he can reclaim part of the previous form.
Photo thanks to Jeff Curry, imagn images
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