Lost in the hype and hoopla of the Trevor Bauer signing and the Justin Turner re-signing (phew!), Dodgers president of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman still had one rather significant piece of unfinished business – what to do with 30-year-old catcher/infielder Austin Barnes, who was entering his second season of arbitration eligibility.

On Sunday evening, Valentine’s Day, that unfinished business became finished when The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal reported on Twitter that the Dodgers and Barnes had avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract that will now take the Fullerton, CA native and former ninth-round draft pick in 2011 by the Miami Marlins out of Arizona State University through the 2022 season, after which he becomes a free agent.

As Rosenthal notes, the two-year contract extension guarantees Barnes $1.5 million in 2021 and $2.5 million in 2022 and includes a $300,000 signing bonus. It also includes performance incentives based on the number of games played.

But there was another victory for Friedman and the Dodgers with the Barnes deal now done, as noted by Dodgers beat reporter Juan Toribio:

With pitchers and catchers – including Barnes – scheduled to report for Spring Training in four days, by all indications, the Dodgers roster is now set.

…then again, it is Andrew Friedman we’re talking about here.

Play Ball!

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