The Los Angeles Dodgers held on as long as they could, but after watching Austin Barnes post horrendous offensive and defensive numbers at the outset of the 2025 season, LA finally cut ties with their backstop of 11 years. Barnes was released last month in order to help usher in a new era of Dodger baseball after calling up top prospect Dalton Rushing.
It took Barnes more than a month — probably because he was hitting .213/.233/.286 at the time of his release — to find a new team. There's little doubt, however, that Barnes had revenge on his mind when selecting his new squad. The veteran signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers' hated rival, the San Francisco Giants, and he no doubt hopes to make it back to the big leagues in time to face his old team.
Barnes, however, will not be headed to the Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, but rather San Francisco's team complex in Arizona. Apparently, even the Giants know it's going to take a lot of work to get Barnes back to being a serviceable backup catcher in the big leagues.
Ex-Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes clearly made a revenge-driven decision after signing with SF Giants
Barnes' tenure with the Dodgers is well documented. The veteran spent 11 seasons on LA's big league roster, but was never a stalwart offensive catcher. For his career, Barnes was only able to muster a .223/.322/.338 slash line with an 85 wRC+. Defensively, however, especially during his early years in the organization, Barnes was extremely proficient behind the plate.
With Rushing's call-up and Will Smith's presence on the roster, the Dodgers finally decided it was time to part with Barnes. Dodgers fans will find it difficult to root for Barnes now that he's suiting up for LA's sworn enemy. The Dodgers head out to San Fran before the All-Star break in two weeks, and it'll surely be something if Barnes is on the big-league roster by then.
If the Giants are somehow able to squeeze any semblance of production out of Barnes over the rest of the season, they'll be doing so while LA is footing the bill. Barnes inked a $3.5 million deal with the Dodgers, and LA is on the hook for the remainder of that salary. This could be the ultimate revenge for Barnes, but he's going to have to revert to the player he was several years ago, and that seems unlikely to happen.