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This morning the Reds announced that they have signed catcher Tucker Barnhart to a contract extension, potentially through 2022. Barnhart was eligible for arbitration for the first time this year, and was set to be a free agent after the 2020 season. Now, the club has bought out arbitration while also giving him a guaranteed year in 2021 with a club option for 2022.
Here is the press release that was issued today.
Here is the full release on Tucker Barnhart's extension with the #Reds. pic.twitter.com/hOmwKtDNbm
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 22, 2017
It wasn’t immediately clear how the contract numbers broke down, but Zach Buchanan chimed in with the numbers on Twitter, per a team source.
Terms, per source: $1.75M signing bonus. $4M in 2018, $2.5M in 2019, $3.5M in 2020, $3.75M in 2021, $7.5M opt in 2022 with a 500k buyout.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZachENQ) September 22, 2017
Barnhart is in the midst of his best offensive season to date, slashing .272/.349/.399 in 397 PA, good for a 96 OPS+ and 3.4 bWAR. Of course he’s most known for his defense behind the plate, and this season he leads the National League in caught stealing percentage.
It’s a pretty savvy move by the Reds, as they’re likely getting Barnhart for a bargain if he continues to improve at the plate as we’ve seen over the last couple of seasons. Even if this is peak Barnhart, they’ve signed him for only a modest raise than he’d get in arbitration, especially in the final years.
It also gives the position a bit of security in the wake of Devin Mesoraco’s consistent issues and his pending free agency after next season.
A press conference is scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon to formally announce the pact.