Tigers acquire Barnhart in trade

*Photo from the Detroit Free Press*

   Mere hours after the offseason began, we have our first trade of the hot stove season. The Detroit Tigers have acquired C Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for 3rd base prospect Nick Quintana, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The trade has been confirmed.

   It's the second straight offseason that the Tigers have filled a need on the roster mere hours after the offseason started, as catcher was a priority. Barnhart has a $7.5 million team option for the 2022 season, which the Tigers reportedly plan to exercise, where the Reds likely weren't going to. So they decided to look for a trade and try to get something for their longtime catcher.

   Tigers GM Al Avila said of acquiring Barnhart that "Coming into this offseason, we knew that catcher was a priority position for us. During our strategy meetings over the last couple of weeks in Lakeland with my front office staff, Tucker’s name came up many times as an attractive option for our ballclub as someone who is a real plus defender, knows how to lead a pitching staff and is a solid contributor from the batter’s box. After feeling interest from the Reds to make a deal, we moved quickly to make it happen and kick off our offseason transactions."

   Last season, in a split at catcher with young Tyler Stephenson, Barnhart hit to a .247 average with a .685 OPS, hitting 7 homers and driving in 48 runs, playing in 116 games for the Reds. In 8 big league seasons, all with the Reds, Barnhart has a .248 average with a .696 OPS, hitting 51 homers and driving in 261 RBI's in 744 games.

   Avila said they loved the chance of Barnhart leading the young Tigers pitching, saying that "We wanted a catcher who can lead our young stuff, and he has proven that he can do that. He calls a good game, but it’s not just the game-calling, it’s the relationship with the pitchers."

   The trade for Barnhart has been a relative rarity for Avila and crew in recent years, so they definitely think highly of Barnhart. It's the first significant prospect for veteran trade made by the Tigers since the winter of 2015, when they acquired lefty reliever Justin Wilson from the New York Yankees in exchange for Luis Cessa and Chad Green.

   Barnhart talked about leaving the Reds and joining the Tigers, saying that "It is bittersweet. But it is one of those things where, in my opinion, for me professionally and for my family personally, this is a wonderful thing for us. And I think the best version of Tucker Barnhart on the baseball field is now and in the future. So I’m excited as heck to be a part of this organization, and I really look forward to building on what they’ve built here so far."

   Heading to the Reds is Quintana, a second round pick by the Tigers in the 2019 MLB draft, from the University of Arizona. Due to injuries and underperformance, he has never gotten above Low A in his minor league career. In his career in the Detroit system, he has a .190 average in 635 plate appearances, and had been leapfrogged by other infield prospects.

   Reds GM Nick Krall said of acquiring Quintana that "He's a guy we liked in the Draft a few years ago, a really good defensive third baseman. Offensively, he's got some good tools. He takes decent at-bats, and we think he can grow into a usable Major League player with the tools that he has."

   The Tigers acquire Barnhart to solidify the catching position, as Jake Rogers underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of last year and will miss likely all of this season, and young Eric Haase struggled in an everyday role down the stretch. The Reds, by trading Barnhart, now pave the way for Stephenson, who had a strong 2021 season, to take over the starting catching role in Cincinnati.