On the first day of the offseason, the Cincinnati Reds made their first move and traded longtime catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Detroit Tigers for a minor leaguer.
The Reds held a $7.5 million club option in Barnhart's contract, which set up the parameters for the trade. The Reds will receive minor league infielder Nick Quintana in return, a second-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Barnhart, the second-longest tenured Reds player behind Joey Votto, is a two-time Gold Glove winner and played a big part in the pitching staff's success with his game-calling and ability to block pitches. The Tigers will pick up Barnhart's option as he enters the final year of his contract.
"Trading Tucker was a very difficult decision," Reds General Manager Nick Krall said. "Having been drafted and developed by the Reds, our entire organization has a connection to him, and our fans love him. But going into 2022, we must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system. We are grateful for Tucker's contributions on the field and in the communities throughout Reds country. He will be missed."
Trading Barnhart clears a path for Tyler Stephenson to move into a full-time starting role. Stephenson hit .286 with 10 homers and 45 RBI in his rookie season.
Barnhart braced himself for the possibility of his Reds career ending at the regular season. He said it weighed on him throughout September.
“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."
Quintana had a .196 batting average and a .329 on-base percentage in 82 games in A-ball this year. He added 16 doubles, nine homers and 46 RBI.
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