CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today agreed to terms with catcher Tucker Barnhart on a two-year major league contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. To make room for Barnhart on the 40-man roster, catcher P.J. Higgins has been designated for assignment.
Barnhart, 31, is a two-time N.L. Gold Glove award-winning backstop who has played in all or part of nine major league seasons with Cincinnati (2014-21) and Detroit (2022). He has batted .245 (623-for-2,546) with 125 doubles, six triples, 52 home runs and 277 RBI in 838 career games. Since his major league debut in 2014, Barnhart’s .997 fielding percentage behind the plate leads active catchers while his 140 caught stealings since 2016 rank second among all catchers behind J.T. Realmuto (162).
Barnhart last season batted .221 (62-for-281) with 10 doubles, one home run and 16 RBI in 94 games in his lone season with the Tigers. He ranked second among A.L. catchers and tied for third in the majors with 20 caught stealings. His .996 fielding percentage (3 E/685 TC) ranked fourth among A.L. backstops.
The five-foot 11-inch Barnhart earned the first of his two N.L. Gold Glove Awards with the Reds in 2017, establishing a Reds single-season franchise record for highest fielding percentage by a catcher (.999) and tied Bryan Pena’s 2015 club mark with fewest errors in a season by a catcher (1 E/953 TC). Barnhart led major league catchers in fielding percentage, caught stealings (28) and assists (89) while his 2.8 defensive bWAR led N.L. position players.
Barnhart won his second N.L. Gold Glove award in the 2020 60-game regular season, becoming only the 27th major league catcher to win multiple Gold Gloves. He was rated by Sports Info Solutions as the best defensive catcher in the major leagues in total runs saved (nine).
Selected by the Reds in the 10th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Brownsburg (Ind.) High School, Barnhart in 2018 and 2020 was the Reds’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for representing baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions. In 2016 and 2019 he won the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award in voting of the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Higgins, 29, batted .229 (46-for-201) with 11 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 30 RBI in 74 games for the Cubs in 2022, spending time at first base (38 games), catcher (34 games), third base (four games) and designated hitter (one game).
