Houston Chronicle

Barnes, Dodgers agree on 2-year contract

-

LOS ANGELES — Catcher Austin Barnes and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a salary arbitratio­n hearing when they agreed to a $4.3 million, two-year contract.

The 31-year-old Barnes hit .244 with one homer and nine RBIs in 86 bats over 29 games during the pandemic-shortened season.

Barnes gets a $300,000 signing bonus payable on March 1 and salaries of $1.5 million this year and $2.5 million in 2022. His 2022 salary can escalate by up to $200,000 for games played this year: $100,000 each for 70 and 80.

He can earn $200,000 in performanc­e bonuses in 2022: $100,000 apiece for 70 and 80 games.

Barnes was behind the plate for Clayton Kershaw’s postseason starts and for Walker Bueher’s Game 3 World Series start, hitting .325 in the postseason with one homer and three RBIs. His solo homer off Tampa Bay’s John Curtiss in the sixth inning of Game 3 extended the Dodgers’ lead to 6-1.

Barnes earned $407,407 in prorated pay from a $1.1 million salary last year. He is eligible for free agency after the 2022 season.

Barnes had been scheduled for arbitratio­n on Tuesday and was the last Dodgers player scheduled for a hearing. Buehler agreed to an $8 million, two-year deal last week.

Two players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ and San Francisco second baseman Donovan Solano.

All cases are being argued over Zoom this year rather than in person because of the pandemic.

Swanson, Braves go to arbitratio­n

Shortstop Dansby Swanson went to salary arbitratio­n with the Atlanta Braves on Monday, asking for a raise to $6.7 million rather than the team’s $6 million offer.

Arbitrator­s Richard Bloch, Walt De Treaux, Robert Herman heard the case, and a decision is expected Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Swanson hit .274 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs last season in an NL-high 237 at-bats. He earned $1,666,667 in prorated pay from a $3.15 million salary.

Atlanta lost its case last week against pitcher Mike Soroka, who will earn $2.8 million rather than the team’s $2.1 million offer.

Odds and ends

Free agent outfielder Billy Hamilton finalized his contract on Monday with Cleveland, which will give Hamilton a chance to win a roster spot during training camp in Arizona.

Hamilton, who spent last season with the Cubs and Mets, gives the Indians another option as they try to fix an outfield that hasn’t produced much in recent seasons. The 30-year-old Hamilton has 305 career steals over eight seasons with Cincinnati, Kansas City, Atlanta, Chicago and New York. …

The Colorado Rockies will be taking a look at another first baseman after signing C.J. Cron to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training.

Cron, 31, hit .190 with four homers and eight RBIs in 13 games with Detroit last season. He was the 17th overall pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011 and has appeared in 686 career games in stints with the Angels, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay

Rays and the Tigers. …

The Marlins plan to allow fans at home games, although crowds will initially be limited to about 25 percent of capacity. That would mean a maximum of about 9,300 spectators in the 37,446-seat ballpark.

“We look forward to having the opportunit­y to have fans come back to our ballpark,” CEO Derek Jeter said. “There will be a limited number of fans that are allowed at the onset. We hope those numbers increase throughout course of the season, but the most important thing for us is to make sure everyone is healthy and safe.”

The Marlins, like the rest of MLB, didn’t allow fans during the 2020 regular season because of the pandemic. Limited crowds were permitted for the postseason, and that will be the case for spring training games starting this month.

 ??  ?? Barnes
Barnes

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States