Reds trade Barnhart to Tigers

The Detroit Tigers acquired two-time Gold Glove catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds for third base prospect Nick Quintana on Wednesday, the teams announced.

Barnhart has a $7.5-million option on his contract for the 2022 season, which the Tigers are reportedly going to exercise, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

"I'm excited as hell to be a part of this organization," Barnhart said about joining the Tigers, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive. "I really look forward to building on what they've built here so far. I'm really looking forward to the future."

The 30-year-old from Indianapolis spent eight seasons with the Reds from 2014-21, hitting .248/.324/.371 with 51 home runs and 261 RBIs in 744 games.

"Trading Tucker was a very difficult decision," Reds general manager Nick Krall said in a statement. "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. We are grateful for Tucker's contributions on the field and in the communities throughout Reds Country. He will be missed."

Barnhart's 20 defensive runs saved since 2014 ranks sixth among catchers with at least 5,000 innings behind the plate, according to FanGraphs.

Quintana, 24, is a Las Vegas native who the Tigers chose in the second round of the 2019 draft out of the University of Arizona.

He spent his 2021 campaign playing for three different teams in the lower levels of Detroit's farm system, hitting .186/.317/.328 with nine homers, 17 doubles, and 47 RBIs in 89 games.