The Detroit Tigers acquired catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday in exchange for minor league infielder Nick Quintana.
A two-time Gold Glove winner (2017, 2020), Barnhart batted .247 with seven homers and 48 RBIs in 116 games last season.
“Coming into this offseason, we knew that catcher was a priority position for us,” said Al Avila, Detroit’s executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager.
“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.”
Barnhart, 30, is batting .248 with 51 homers and 261 RBIs in 744 career games with the Reds. He was selected by Cincinnati in the 10th round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
“While it’s bittersweet to be leaving the organization that drafted me, I couldn’t be happier to join the Tigers,” Barnhart said. “This is an exciting time for a team that’s undergone such a big transformation over the last few years. A.J. (Hinch) is one of the best managers in all of baseball, and I’m looking forward to working with him, the coaching staff and other teammates to bring the playoffs and a World Series Championship back to the Motor City.”
Quintana, 24, batted .186 with nine homers and 47 RBIs last season spread over stints with Class A Lakeland and a pair of Rookie-level Florida Complex League teams.
–Field Level Media