We told you that the Diamondbacks were interested in free agent catcher Tucker Barnhart right as the winter meetings began. A big reason for the interest in this catcher could be his work with Eduardo Rodriguez in 2022. The D-backs are said to have signed Rodriguez to a four-year deal with a fifth-year option.
They were both on the 2022 Tigers team and played together. Rodriguez started 17 games during a season that was cut short by personal problems. Barnhart started 14 of those games, and Eric Haase started the other three. It was a huge change.
Rodriguez had an earned run average of 3.65 and an on-base percentage of.685 while working for Barnhart. He had a 5.82 ERA and a.329/.364/.493 OPS against in the three games he made for Haase. It’s possible that the D-backs were interested in Barnhart because of how well he has done with Rodriguez in the past.
Besides the stats, the connection between the two players is another thing that could have played a role. In 2022, Rodriguez lost time with the Tigers because of family issues, and Barnhart was there for his batterymate the whole time. Rodriguez stood up in front of his friends when he got back to the team to tell them the truth about what was going on. At the time, Barnhart said, “I think it’s something that calling and saying, ‘Hey man, sorry, I had some stuff to deal with with my family,’ would be more than enough for me.”
This week at the winter meetings in Nashville, it was clear that making Rodriguez feel very comfortable in Arizona was a top concern. Rodriguez’s physical is over, and the deal is official. It wouldn’t be surprising if Barnhart signed with the D-backs to be Gabriel Moreno’s main backup catcher and maybe even Rodriguez’s personal catcher.
