CHICAGO – Cincinnati is everything Tucker Barnhart has known throughout his eight-year Major League career, but he knows this could be his final week in a Reds uniform.
It’s weighed on him throughout the past month. He and his wife, Sierra, packed up the Cincinnati house they rented for the last five years. When he went to certain restaurants, he thought about how it could be his last dinner there.
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The Reds hold a $7.5 million club option in Barnhart’s contract for next season with a $500,000 buyout. Barnhart hasn’t received an indication of which way the team is leaning, but he understands the business side of it. Catcher Tyler Stephenson is ready for everyday playing time and the Reds could opt for an inexpensive backup. The Reds released catcher Curt Casali last offseason.
Barnhart, the second-longest tenured player behind Joey Votto, braced himself for the possibility he’s nearing the end of his Reds career and there are emotional moments. He tried to explain it to his 4-year-old son, Tatum: “Hey, daddy might not be playing for the Reds next year.”
“Tatum will look at me like, ‘What do you mean? Are you not going to play baseball next year?’” Barnhart said. “I’m like, ‘No, hopefully, I am. It just might not be in Cincinnati.’
“‘Really? We won’t get to see Mr. Jesse (Winker) or Mr. Kyle (Farmer)?’ I’m like, ‘well, maybe not, buddy.’ He’s like, ‘huh.’ He’s not old enough to understand it yet, but those are the ones that kind of hit me a little bit harder than the actual true baseball side of it.”
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Barnhart, a Brownsburg, Indiana native, signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension at the end of the 2017 season. There were times he saw his name floating in trade rumors over the past couple of years, but this is the first time where the end of his Reds career felt real.
“It’s been hard,” Barnhart said. “The stressful times have become more stressful just because of the situation. I do consider Cincinnati home. It reminds me of Indianapolis. Where I live in Cincinnati – or where we did live – it reminds me of where we grew up. It’s small. The people are great. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people. They’ve gotten to know my family, my kids. That’s the hard part for me. Not necessarily the business side of it because it is just that; it is a business, obviously.”
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Barnhart made a little more than $4 million this season, so his $7.5 million club option is a sizeable jump. There were seven catchers who made more than $7.5 million this season: J.T. Realmuto (Phillies), Salvador Perez (Royals), Buster Posey (Giants), Yasmani Grandal (White Sox), James McCann (Mets), Yadier Molina (Cardinals) and Travis d’Arnaud (Atlanta).
If the Reds decline Barnhart’s option – teams must decide five days after the World Series concludes – then he will become a free agent for the first time.
“I’m in a wait-and-see mindset,” Barnhart said. “I’m not a controlling guy by any means but knowing I’m not good with change and that’s about as real as it gets. Not knowing what’s next has been stressful. I personally believe that I’ve done well enough to be in a situation where if it’s not in Cincinnati, it’s going to be somewhere where I win. That’s the ultimate goal for me.”
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When Barnhart stood in the visiting dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday, he looked onto the field and he was grateful for all the players he crossed paths with during his Reds career. He saw former teammates Billy Hamilton and Brian Goodwin. There was Miguel Cairo, a Reds infielder when Barnhart was in the minor leagues, and Shelley Duncan, one of his minor-league teammates.
Lance Lynn is a few years older than Barnhart, but they went to the same high school and have known each other since they were kids.
“I’m an emotional dude, I’ve always been,” Barnhart said. “I play that way. I’m not afraid to cry in a movie or anything like that. For me, it’s just the human element of this game. My kids both, not born in Cincinnati, but as soon as they were born, they were brought over to Cincinnati. My wife and I have been in Cincinnati my whole career obviously.
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“It’s been a lot of emotions the last, probably, month. Some of the coolest things I’ve ever been able to say I’ve done have happened in Cincinnati, actually in the city of Cincinnati. For me, it’s nothing but wonderful thoughts of the city. I’m hopeful that it’s not over, but it is the reality of the situation where it could be. I’m trying not to think about it too much, but it has crept in, for sure.”
Barnhart, a two-time Gold Glove winner, has been a big part of the pitching staff’s success with his ability to call games and block pitches in the dirt. He was happy with the swing changes he made last winter, though his offensive numbers have taken a dip in September.
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“I think there are so many great things this organization is getting ready to do,” Barnhart said. “The trajectory of it without a doubt skyrocketing up. I hope I’m a part of it, but if not, it’s the reality of this business and the situation. I wish everybody nothing but the best if I’m not here. But again, hopefully, this is all for naught, I’m here next year, we’re hanging out and we’re playing meaningful baseball in September again.”
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