'We must align our payroll': Cincinnati Reds trade catcher Tucker Barnhart to Tigers

On the first day of the offseason Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds made their first move and may have signaled they're taking a step back with their roster this winter. 

The Reds traded longtime catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Detroit Tigers for minor league infielder Nick Quintana. The Reds held a $7.5 million club option in Barnhart's contract, with a $500,000 buyout, and they began reaching out to teams last week to try to find a trade partner. 

General Manager Nick Krall said there were a couple of teams interested before they accepted Detroit's offer. Barnhart, the second-longest tenured Reds player behind Joey Votto, is a two-time Gold Glove winner and played a big part in the pitching staff's success with his game-calling and ability to block pitches.

Detroit will pick up Barnhart's option as he enters the final year of his contract. 

"Trading Tucker was a very difficult decision," Krall said. "Having been drafted and developed by the Reds, our entire organization has a connection to him, and our fans love him. But going into 2022, we must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system."

It wasn't a surprise the Reds parted with Barnhart considering his $7.5 million salary. Barnhart braced for the possibility at the end of the season knowing Tyler Stephenson was ready to ascend to an everyday starting role. 

Payroll was a driving force behind the trade. In a press conference following the trade, Krall said the club was still working through its payroll for next season and didn't comment whether it would trend upward or downward. 

The Reds carried a $130 million payroll this year, which was around league average, but it was much lower than where the Reds had it set in 2020 before the pandemic. Will their payroll situation preclude them from signing free agents?

'It's going to be more of a wait-and-see," Krall said, "but I don't think we're not going to sign players on the free-agent market. I think it's something that this move did not make sense from where we were with payroll. We had to make sure we made the adjustment."

Trading Barnhart clears a path for Stephenson to move into a full-time starting role. Stephenson hit .286 with 10 homers and 45 in his rookie season and he showed improvement defensively. 

"Just what he meant for me, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today," Stephenson said. "From Day One, really, he’s kind of welcomed me in and there’s nothing bad to say about the guy. He’s a true competitor and professional."

Behind Stephenson, the Reds have Mark Kolozsvary on the 40-man roster, who finished the season at Triple-A Louisville. Krall said they'd like to add another Major League-ready catcher to complement Stephenson. 

"I’d be naïve or I'd be lying if I said that I didn't somewhat see this coming," Barnhart said. "I've been on the other side of it as well where I've been the younger guy and there's been a veteran, and it's just worked itself out. It's nobody's fault. I'm not trying to put blame on anyone whatsoever. It's just the way this thing works."

Tigers General Manager Al Avila said their front office identified the 30-year-old Barnhart as "one of our top priorities, if not top priority" as they sought a veteran catcher to work with their young pitching staff. Barnhart will have former big-league catcher A.J. Hinch as his manager. 

"The Reds drafted me in 2009 when I was 18," Barnhart said. "I'll be 31 in January, so for nearly half of my life, I've been around some incredible people and have been fortunate enough to cross paths with a lot of very great people. It is bittersweet, but it is one of those things where, for me professionally and for my family personally, this is a wonderful thing. I think the best version of Tucker Barnhart on the baseball field is now and is in the future." 

Quintana, a second-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, had a .196 batting average and a .329 on-base percentage in 82 games in A-ball this year. He added 16 doubles, nine homers and 46 RBI. 

The 24-year-old was Baseball America's No. 31 prospect in the Tigers' farm system before the 2021 season.

"He's a guy we liked in the draft a few years ago," said Krall, calling Quintana a strong defender at third base. "Offensively, he's got some tools. Low average but very low batting average on balls in play. He takes decent at-bats and we think he can grow into a usable Major League player with the tools that he has."

One year after the Reds traded closer Raisel Iglesias in a salary dump, released reliever Archie Bradley and never filled their hole at shortstop, they've begun the offseason by, again, losing another valuable player.

"You never want to lose players," Krall said, "but at the same time, I think Tyler playing more is going to help him continue to develop. He has a chance to develop into an All-Star-type catcher. I think that’s something where letting him play more is hopefully going to help this team."