Former Dodgers staple Austin Barnes backstabs fans with latest landing spot

The Dodgers' divorce with Austin Barnes last year was unfortunate but necessary. Barnes, though a staple of LA's roster for over a decade and Clayton Kershaw's personal catcher, only had one truly effective season as a batter — all the way back in 2017. It was the only year he ever hit for an OPS+ above 100. With No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing waiting in the wings and more than due for a promotion, Barnes was shown the door.

He signed a minor league deal with the Giants shortly after being DFA'ed by the Dodgers, but he never reached the majors with them and was released on Aug. 1. He's been unemployed ever since, though he did make a cameo in the stands during the NLCS, when he and Kershaw shared a nice moment.

Barnes has been off of most fans' radars since then. Most of us probably expected him to retire after the 2025 season. But alas, he's still kicking. On Thursday, the Mets announced that they had signed two former Dodgers — Barnes and Craig Kimbrel — to minor league deals with invitations to spring training.

Mets sign former Dodgers Craig Kimbrel, Austin Barnes to minor league deals

After either trading or letting longtime pillars of their roster walk, the Mets kind of redeemed their offseason in the span of just a few days. They signed Bo Bichette, traded for Luis Robert Jr., and then traded for Freddy Peralta. Just like Steve Cohen promised, their payroll — torn down by losing all of Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Edwin Díaz — is now well above $350 million again.

There could actually be a world in which Barnes makes the Mets' major league roster. Maybe it won't be by Opening Day, but Francisco Alvarez has never lived up to all of the hype, and Luis Torrens hit .226 with a .629 OPS last year.

Fans assumed that the Dodgers kept Barnes around for his experience and the way he's been able to work with pitchers. If he can tap into a second wind offensively and turn a couple of heads in spring training, he might have a chance of getting back to the majors.

Right now, the Mets look like the Dodgers' biggest threat within the NL. It's a little hard to take that seriously, when their historic 2025 collapse is still fresh, but if they do end up being as good as they think they could be, Barnes' new allegiances will hurt a lot more.