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The Dodgers have exercised their membership choice on the companies of catcher Austin Barnes for the 2025 season. Barnes will earn $3.5M in 2025.
Barnes, 35 in December, was a ninth-round decide by the Marlins again in 2011 however has spent his whole large league profession with the Dodgers. The veteran first debuted with the membership again in 2015 and has now spent elements of ten seasons with L.A. within the majors. Whereas he’s by no means been an on a regular basis participant and solely acquired the lion’s share of taking part in time behind the plate in 2019 (when he shared duties with veteran Russell Martin and rookie Will Smith), Barnes has confirmed to be a sturdy and dependable backup catcher for the membership all through his profession and has even change into one thing of a private catcher for franchise legend Clayton Kershaw lately.
With Smith underneath contract for the following decade after signing a ten-year extension again in March, he’s set to stay the membership’s beginning choice behind the plate for the foreseeable future. The Dodgers even have numerous fascinating catching prospects within the higher minors, together with Diego Cartaya and Dalton Rushing. With numerous intriguing inside choices on the place, it could come throughout as one thing of a shock that the membership would pay $3.5M to retain an ageing catcher who has hit simply .217/.289/.270 (61 wRC+) over the previous two seasons. Shocking as that will appear, nevertheless, the veteran stays a reasonably well-regarded defender behind the plate with +2 Defensive Runs Saved in simply 54 video games this 12 months.
For a Dodgers membership that routinely runs payrolls at or close to the highest of the league, $3.5M is an insignificant worth to pay to retain a longtime member of the group who works properly with a franchise icon and presents a dependable, regular choice in a 12 months the place the membership might take into account giving these aforementioned children some alternatives to catch on the large league degree. It could’ve been a shock if the Dodgers have been prepared to decide to both Cartaya or Speeding as Smith’s major backup on Opening Day of 2025 when neither has a lot as a single plate look within the majors and retaining Barnes permits the membership to ease these prospects into life on the large league degree and provides them no matter time they might want at Triple-A to shine their abilities and put together for the large leagues.
Two extra choice selections will have to be remodeled the approaching days involving the Dodgers: the workforce might want to determine whether or not to carry shortstop Miguel Rojas again on a $5M choice ($1M buyout), and Kershaw might want to determine whether or not he needs to train his $10M participant choice or head again into free company (the place he’s already indicated he would look to re-sign in Los Angeles).
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