WEDNESDAY: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter) that the Dodgers will send right-handed pitcher Jonathan Martinez to the Cubs as the PTBNL. The 20-year-old was enjoying a strong season at Class A in the Midwest League, having pitched to a 3.47 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 106 innings. He did not rank among the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects, per Baseball America.
MONDAY, 5:43pm: MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports that the Dodgers will pay $500K of what is owed to Barney this season (Twitter link).
2:32pm: The Dodgers have bolstered their infield depth and their defense with the acquisition of Darwin Barney from the Cubs, both teams announced. Chicago will send Barney and cash considerations to Los Angeles in return for a player to be named later, according to releases from each team. It was reported earlier today that Barney, who was designated for assignment last week, was garnering trade interest.
The 28-year-old Barney hit just .230/.265/.328 in 217 plate appearances with the Cubs this season, but his bat has never been his calling card. Barney consistently rates as one of the best defensive second baseman in the Major Leagues, and this year was no different. His Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games was +15.5, while Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at +7 runs in limited time. Per DRS, Barney has saved 46 runs over the past three seasons.
Dee Gordon has established himself as Los Angeles’ everyday second baseman this season, so it doesn’t seem likely that Barney will be seeing everyday at-bats with the Dodgers. However, his glove makes him a nice bench piece that the team can use to improve its defense late in games. Barney was drafted as a shortstop and spent more time at short than at the keystone in his minor league career. Despite a lack of experience at the position in recent years, Barney could be used as a replacement if the team wants to either replace the defensively challenged Hanley Ramirez or shift him over to third base late in games.
Barney is earning just $2.3MM this season and is controllable through 2016 as an arbitration eligible player. His bat makes him a non-tender candidate in the offseason, but he will only cost the Dodgers about $804K from here through season’s end.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune first reported that the two sides were nearing a trade (on Twitter), and Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish tweeted that it was a deal. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs would receive a PTBNL in return (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Potentially done so the Giants don’t trade for him?
Usually you block a good player from being traded to your rival. Guys like Barney and Uggla? Pay for their airfare.
Not necessarily. The Giants could use a guy who could play the position, which Uggla cannot do anymore (if he ever really could). Bat would have been secondary. They really have nobody. By doing this, the Dodgers have removed a Band-Aid from the Giants’ medicine cabinet. They will have to give up real prospects now if they want, say, Daniel Murphy or Ben Zobrist. So I would not discount the possibility that this is gamesmanship.
I am pretty sure that the Dodgers trading for Darwin Barney’s glove has nothing to do with keeping him away from the Giants.
Did you watch Sunday’s game? The fans in SF are desperate. Barney would have been the cheaper option to solve at least part of the problem. The other options will demand more going back to the other team in terms of prospects. Or they can keep running Uggla out there, who costs them wins.
While you’re absolutely right that Uggla solves none of the Giants problems(because he bas NOTHING left in the tank), the Giants already have a weak hitting, decent defending second baseman in Joe Panik so Barney is a lateral move at best.
The problem with this theory is that if the Giants wanted Barney so bad, the Cubs would have worked out a deal with them, as they likely could have received a better player in return than whatever they will get from the Dodgers.
Nah, they are already estatic to have obtained “his name is…”
And this didn’t happen because___________?
Although, now that the deal’s finalized, I do like the kid they ended up getting from LA.
Agreed. This was NOT a preemptive move, in my opinion.
Makes sense, and at the same time Guerrero getting time in LF and Turner a FA after this year. Gives us depth at 2B.
Turner is not a free agent; he’s arbitration eligible.
Was not sure on that, thought non tendered players became FAs.
Nobody is going to tender a player making 2.3M this season, don’t you have to offer at minimum 80% of what their earnings were this season to retain them anyways?
Yes, I think that’s correct — have to tender at at least 80% of his previous-year contract. If he’s non-tendered, he becomes a free agent.
Turner is making $1 million this year with the Dodgers. They will tender him — he’s a valuable bench piece.
No, he’s making 2.3M overall. Which is what they go off of when tendering people. He’s not being tendered unless he turns his season around.
Chris Perez makes $2.3M and won’t be tendered.
Justin Turner makes $1.0M and will be tendered.
Nowhere, including Cots, has Turner at $2.3M.
My mistake, I kept thinking he was referring to Darwin Barney for some odd reason.
Justin Turner is making $1 million and having a great season.
For some reason I thought you said Darwin Barney? The entire time I kept reading “Darwin Barney is having a great season and will be tendered.”
Thank God I’m wrong lol.
Turn his season around from 126 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR in a small sample this season? Damn what would he have to do?
He was originally a MiLB contract, if that makes any difference.
Yeah because the Dodgers need another outfielder to add to their current logjam there.
Uhhhhhh…. what?
Was referring to them using Alexander Guerrero in the outfield
Part of me is surprised we got anything (even if it is just cash) for Barney, and part of me isn’t.
I think the bottom line is Barney is a nice piece on a serious contender. He can handle the short half of a platoon and of course provide excellent defense as a defensive substitution late in the game. He just isn’t a fit on a team like the Cubs who are struggling for every single run.
The Cubs didn’t get cash, they sent cash in the deal.
I think what jb226 means is the cash savings the Cubs will enjoy by not having to pay Barney’s entire salary for the rest of the season. Even by sending a half million, the Cubs will still save well over $300,000 the rest of the year.
Pocket change man. No team in baseball, not even Oakland, is worrying about saving $300,000 in a season on player salaries.
That’s the sunny way of looking at it. You can also say the Cubs are paying $1.8 million for a player to go away and won’t get anything of value in return. Nothing wrong with that, teams do it all the time. But let’s not pretend they are saving money here.
I don’t think you are doing the math right here. Barney was on a $2.3 MM deal. The Cubs aren’t paying $1.8 for him to go away. They paid $1.47MM for him to play 100 games for them. They were going to have to pay him $830k to go away but found someone to take $330k of that money and send them a PTBNL. Are you saying you know of a team that would have paid more? I doubt it. It’s nice they got what they did. Him being awesome and netting a great return would have been better yes. But that’s fantasy. In reality, the Cubs threw a guy out and still managed to acquire a player and mitigate their wasted cash in the process. That’s a good deal.
I understand the urge to slag things. But $300,000 is not a rounding error. And the argument was that saving $300k and getting a PTBNL is better than releasing him. Are you saying you disagree?
The Dodgers and Giants really are rivals in every sense of the word. Right after the Giants got a 2nd baseman that can’t hit, the Dodgers got…a 2nd baseman that can’t hit.
The Giants got a second baseman who can’t hit OR field. So at least Barney has that going for him. And it’s not like he’s going to be thrown in to the starting line up like Uggla.
yea but Uggla is a horrible defender and Barney wont start everyday like uggla, he will be used as a defense switch late in the game like they do with Rojas
I’d imagine they’re also trying to block the Giants from getting him. He’s definitely an improvement over Uggla, and coming pretty cheaply, at that.
Interesting point is that Barney could also be a sub in when a leftie is on the mound as his hitting is not horrific (not good either) against southpaws.
late inning defensive replacement for HanRam when it’s close and late?
That would be Arruebarrena or Rojas. Barney is simply bench depth.
Dee’s defense at second has been solid. This makes more sense if they view him as a SS taking over for Rojas as Hanley’s late inning replacement. Any Cubs fans know what he’s like at short??
probably not as great as Rojas
He’s just going to be a UTIL bench, much like what Punto and Shoemaker was for us last year.
The D’s middle infield depth can’t seem to survive Albuquerque, suddenly a rough neighborhood for middle-infielders.
Didn’t play much SS at the MLB level but played there extensively in the minors. If he is 90% as good at SS as he is at 2nd base you got yourself a gem. You also got the best defensive 2nd basemen in baseball on the cheap.
can Barney be persuaded in allowing his walk up song be the barney show theme for a few games?
Did the Cubs get Blake DeWitt?
Both Colletti and Hendry love no hit 2B fortunately Hendry is no longer with the cubs.
Or Cesar Izturis?
Where is Kazuo Matsui when you need him?
Nice little move for the Dodgers.
Barney was a better shortstop than Castro. Nice move for L.A. as a late inning guy who is plus defender in the middle of the infield. Also can give a day off to regulars. HE IS NOT A REGULAR PLAYER.
Wouldn’t call him a shortstop at all.
Then you would be wrong
Who cares what he played in the minors. Jim Thome played a season of SS in the minors. Was he a SS, no. Barney hasn’t played a full time SS in 4 years. He’s played 2nd base 99% of the time, he’s a 2nd baseman.
This comes from the Dodgers web site. “Barney provides additional infield depth, particularly at shortstop, where Miguel Rojas has been the backup and late-inning replacement for starter Hanley Ramirez.
4176.1 innings 2nd base – 96%
131.2 innings SS – 3%
34 innings at 3rd – 1%
Hahaha so close!
4176.1 innings 2nd base – 96%
131.2 innings SS – 3%
34 innings at 3rd – 1%
Hahaha so close!
You would still be wrong. If you have watched Barney play and don’t think he could man SS, then you have no clue what you are talking about.
Maybe, but he’s only played 19 games of SS in 5 seasons, how should we know if he can or can’t? Wouldn’t the Cubs have moved Castro to 2nd if Barney was soooo much better at SS? Scouting reports said he had an average arm and average range at SS.
His range or ability isn’t whats in question in my mind. I will concede that his arm would maybe be a problem. He has played a few games at SS in regular season and some in spring training, as recently as this past one. The guy can field without a doubt but like I said it may have been a concern over his arm not being good enough.
His range or ability isn’t whats in question in my mind. I will concede that his arm would maybe be a problem. He has played a few games at SS in regular season and some in spring training, as recently as this past one. The guy can field without a doubt but like I said it may have been a concern over his arm not being good enough.
You would still be wrong. If you have watched Barney play and don’t think he could man SS, then you have no clue what you are talking about.
Shortstop is his best position. Has not played it since minors. Was moved to 2nd because of Castro’s bat.
No, that is not how it works. Barney does not have the range to play everyday SS. Castro had far more upside as a SS because he is much more athletic which leads to wider range and a much stronger arm. If Barney was so much better or had more potential at short stop they could have moved Castro to 2nd without any problem. The players simply projected better at the positions they were assigned.
Look across town at the White Sox and how they handled Beckham (their version of Barney – though slightly better hitter and slightly less defense). Now Beckham was the top tier prospect in that situation, played SS in college and played it well. But with his skill set said he projected better as a second baseman so they moved him there and kept Alexi Ramirez at SS despite him having previously played 2nd base.
Again, this comes direct from the Dodgers web site. “This comes from the Dodgers web site. “Barney provides additional
infield depth, particularly at shortstop, where Miguel Rojas has been
the backup and late-inning replacement for starter Hanley Ramirez.
Remember, he is NOT going to be a regular. This is a late inning replacement, and believe me he probably has more range than Castro.
No, he doesn’t have more range than Castro. It’s not even close. SS is a far more important defensive position than 2nd. You need a guy who can cover a lot of ground and has the arm. Barney did not, which is why he was moved to 2nd base. Castro has those talents, he just hasn’t been able to put it together on the field to live up to the talent.
I’m not saying Barney can’t play SS in a pinch, but it’s not a position suited for him due to his skills set.
BTW, it doesn’t matter which site you got that from. Of course the Dodgers are going to say all kinds of glowing things about a guy they picked up who was designated for assignment. Since that is where you were getting him from you have to tell lies to make it sound good. If he was an actual valuable player he wouldn’t have been designated for assignment. So let’s see if they use him as that late inning replacement at SS before we go believing what the company mouthpiece said to the media.
This reminds me of when the Rangers got Alex Rios. They went on about how he can play CF, which was total bs. He was a good RF, but a horrible CF.
Per Jim Calls last year, he is a better defensive shortstop than Castro. He ONLY moved because of Castro
Castro struggled last year offensively and defensively. Callis was talking about how Barney MAY be the better defensive short stop at the time. That had everything to do with how poorly Castro was playing, not how good Barney could be at SS.
Yeah, I would not be shocked if Barney is used as the 2B/SS defensive utility player. I figure Miguel Rojas will get demoted. Justin Turner will likely be Uribe’s back up and also occasionally start at 2B against a lefty for Dee. I’ve always liked Barney. As a utility player he can definitely provide value.
Cubs get PTBNL
Maybe next time they can trade for a vowel.
Interesting. Wonder why Giants didn’t make a play for him. Possibly considered insurance for LA given Arrrrrribuena just put himself out of the picture and will be out for awhile, Triunfel is bad, Figgins is injured and Guerrero will get the call up by September but isn’t as good defensively as Barney. So in this sense it makes sense, but Rojas seemed like he was doing fine. Presumably DB didn’t cost the Dodgers much.
guerrero is pretty bad defensively
Not true. He’s still adjusting to a new position, but I wouldn’t say he’s terrible.
But can he get on base
Statistics say no, he can’t. lol
.265 OBP, so no, not really.
He can get on base. Every player on every MLB team can get on base. The real question is an he get on base adequately? And no he cannot.
A senseless move by the DODGERS, take care of your own business, let the GIANTS do whatever….
Actually, a plus defender for the late innings. Love this idea.
++
All this trade Kemp talk is nonsense…..the line up is set or you can swap Agon and Henley….
Rumors on the Kemp front are bound to continue. The Dodgers have Kemp, Crawford, Puig, Either and Pederson, the only true CF of the bunch, waiting in the minors.
Puig and Pederson are said to be untouchable. Either and Crawford are not performing well enough to garner much trade interest so the rumors have centered around Kemp.
Pederson is not untouchable , Urias and Seager should be the only untouchable players
I can’t say i know enough about Pederson to evaluate him. Just recent reports have said the Dodgers are not open to trading Pederson, Urias or Seager. Also Pederson is the only Of’er out of the 3 and the only even close to MLB ready CF’er the Dodgers have.
The Dodgers seem to feel Puig can handle CF. So far, he looks alright there. Pederson is not considered an elite defender at CF by any means. He profiles more as a corner outfielder, and would be an average CFer at best.
Seager is probably the most untouchable of the bunch, followed by Urias. Pederson is expendable. The Dodgers would certainly prefer to move Ethier or Crawford (and maybe even Kemp), but they’ll be open to trading Pederson in the right deal.
The Dodgers seem to feel Puig can handle CF. So far, he looks alright there. Pederson is not considered an elite defender at CF by any means. He profiles more as a corner outfielder, and would be an average CFer at best.
Seager is probably the most untouchable of the bunch, followed by Urias. Pederson is expendable. The Dodgers would certainly prefer to move Ethier or Crawford (and maybe even Kemp), but they’ll be open to trading Pederson in the right deal.
How is Kemp tradable? Unless the Dodgers eat most of his salary I don’t see how it is possible to move a guy who is owed $118 million dollars over the next 5 years. That is the worst deal since Soriano’s from the Cubs. And to be honest, looking at the numbers Soriano was closer to being worth it than Kemp.
If they were to move Seager, Pederson, or Urias in a kemp deal they wouldn’t eat much salary if at all. If they really wanna get out from under that commitment they’ll need to part with prospects to do so. If not they’re giving kemp away for free to whomever they trade him to while eating 70-90 mill of his salary.
The Giants missed out on Barney great pickup for the Dodgers.
Not sure I’d say “great”. More like “decent”. 🙂
In comparison to Uggla, though…
Yeah, everyone looks great compared to Uggla.
Uggla, what a brutal glove.
Dee Gordon has been takeing fly balls in center so he might move to center with a trade of kemp or eather
Not gonna happen. Dee has found a home at 2B and was an all star. Dodgers are not going to move an all star when we have a future star center fielder waiting in the minors
Crawford not much better than a fourth outfielder these days, and Andre Either is awful, why not Gordon in center, Puig in left and Pederson in right? Kemp I think will indeed be moved. There’s Alex Guerrero to be accounted for as well.
Regardless, Dodgers are looking stacked right now. They’ve got major league talent, they’ve got minor league talent, and they have a payroll that rivals the Yankees. Ned Colletti must be grinning ear to ear. You can never have too much depth.
You said it yourself, Crawford and Ethier are the odd men out. But it’s Kemp they should trade. Okay, that left me scratching my head.
Kemp is consistently injury-prone but still has value, and his contract is an albatross. Plus he seems to want to get out of LA. Don’t think it has much to do with him not being an everyday player or a good piece to the Dodgers, but more personal than that.
How many games did he miss to injury before colliding with a wall and fracturing his ankle sliding? I think you will find the answer to that question is “zero.” Plus, there’s nothing to the rumor that he wants to “get out of LA.” Also, the contract is has no bearing on whether the Dodgers need him in the lineup. Which, most certainly, they do.
Not going to happen. Gordon has been incredible defensively at 2B, they’re not going to experiment with him in CF in the middle of a pennant race and weaken 2B defense (arguably a much more important defensive position) in the process.
The Dodgers have 6 outfielders in their system that could be starters – Crawford and Ethier the worst of the 6. If Puig doesn’t work out in CF, the Dodgers will probably put Pederson there. But the offense provided by Puig, Kemp, Van Slyke and potentially Pederson should offset the defensive liability of Puig or Pederson in CF.
Injuries, they happen. Sharpening players skill at multiple positions and creating versatility is smart baseball. Look at Zobrist.
You’re probably joking, but I could see Dee being a quintessential CF. With his speed, he’d probably track down many balls that most couldn’t get to.
And if Dee could ever play both CF and 2B he’d be invaluable to a team like the Dodgers.
You know, I’m thrilled that Barney’s going to get another shot somewhere. The poor guy sits down for 2 days for his wife to give birth and Alcantara steals his job. It was the right move for the Cubs obviously, but it’s got to suck getting Wally Pipp’ed like that
Always been a fan of Barney, reminds me of a gritty 1950’s type player. Nice pickup by LA.
Orioles have three Darwin Barneys on the roster. Wishing him all the best, but very glad the Orioles didn’t follow up on their initial interest in him.
Buck is all about defense, so it doesn’t surprise me that they would think about acquiring a guy like Barney.
Buck is all about defense, so it doesn’t surprise me that they would think about acquiring a guy like Barney.
Well that means the Dodgers are winning it all. ( Theriot – Cardinals and Fontenot – Giants)
Do you think this means Alcantara stays up with the Cubs? Thoughts? I know they have him in center but also wondered if any Cubs fan know what his defense has looked like so far…
To my eye, he’s looked pretty good. I’m sure there is a lot to learn still, since he only just started playing the outfield this season in the minors. But he’s got a nice arm and good speed that makes up for the lack of experience.
And yes, I think he’s up all year. Not only that, I think he’s penciled into the starting lineup in 2015. I can’t envision anybody who knocks him off the roster.
Alcantara has been splitting time at 2B with Valbuena (since Bonafacio returned from DL) and spending the rest of the time in the outfield. I suspect the Cubs will want Alcantera to work out in the OF more than 2B because Baez will be up soon (worth noting, Baez had spent some time in the OF before being promoted to Iowa. He is playing SS in Iowa). The other consideration is newly acquired Addison Russell (A’s top prospect for Samardzija) who, by trade, is a SS. Would stand to reason that somebody is getting traded. Doubtful that’s Alcantera.
So,the Cubs had to pay someone to take Barney? Great deal,Theo! NOT
They helped cover his salary–which they would have had to do if he were released anyway–and are getting a PTBNL. Actually, it is a good deal, they get a free player for a guy they were dumping either way.
Any guess as to the talent level of said PTBNL?
That may be in flux. Sometimes, teams have a handshake deal that the PTBNL will be chosen from agreed upon names based on how the other end of the trade goes. That is, it may be that if Barney sticks as a Dodger until the end of the year, the Cubs will get a slightly better player than if he ends up designated again in a few weeks.
It’s hard to imagine any case where the return for Barney is *that* good, though. Organizational depth, a too-old for his level guy with some good points and some problems, or a toolsy guy with terrible results in the low minors, most likely.
Can you just get over the fact that Barney isn’t good? Tired of so called Cubs’ fans thinking he was good. The guy cant hit, period.
Show me where I said he was any good.But he was on the payroll,so they should have gotten SOMETHING in return,even if it was just a bucket of used baseballs.
They did, they got Jonathan Martinez, better than a bucket of balls!
Yep,now we know that.
Yes, yes we do.
The Dodgers saw how bad Uggla was the last three days and blocked the Giants. The A’s coulda used him, too.
Cubs will not have to worry about second base for the next ten years with Baez at that position.
Nobody but the Dodgers needed the defensive 2nd baseman the calliber of Darwin Barney, what with the questions coming out of ST with Gordon, Guererro, etc… What? Gordon’s done OK? Gee, I wonder if another team in the NL West could have had him and his Gold Glove on the cheap… Surely, somebody had to do research and all…
They very well might have acquired him because a team they are in trade talk with over bigger names, liked Barney as part of a package deal.
Best part, Giants have Uggla starting at 2B, while Barney’s flight just got diverted to Albuquerque
Optioned to triple-A. That was sort of a surprise.
maybe they want him to work on his bat for a few game before bring him up
Did he bring a bat? Seriously, I figured Rojas goes down and Barney stays. Neither of them hit. That may happen yet.
well who knows the reason is but i doubt he will be down for long with the glove he has
well who knows the reason is but i doubt he will be down for long with the glove he has
Probably dodgers would use barney as back up for hanley , couple of games at shortstop in triple A , then recall him.
Seems like a pretty good return for Barney…Martinez has 91ks to 19 walks in 106 innings. Seems like those k/bb numbers are consistent in his career so far too.
Ready for the trip to Daytona as well. He’s done a season of that at A ball.
Seems like Alex Rios to the Mariners is very likely now.
these are the type of trades dodgers needs
next trade get a guy like tommy milone
cubs made out well