Darwin Barney

[dabynsky]

Well this seems to be the news of the day. So lets put all the rumors in one place.

It was started by Ken Rosenthal writing this which was posted to MLBTraderumors

•Rival teams frequently ask about Darwin Barney and it’s possible the Cubs will trade the second baseman.

Cubs Den added this:

■In his latest article, Ken Rosenthal writes, "Don’t rule out the possibility of the Cubs trading second baseman Darwin Barney rival clubs frequently ask about Barney, but none has offered value that the Cubs consider sufficient for a regular second baseman. Barney might end up more of a utility type. Both Tom and I have talked to non-Cubs baseball people and we've gotten the vibe that he's a well-respected ballplayer around the league. He's not going to dazzle you with tools or big numbers, but he'll give you good middle infield defense and he'll hit enough to not be a liability in your lineup. I think if you're a contending team with a hole at SS or 2B, you can do a heck of a lot worse than Darwin Barney. On a team with a strong lineup, you can definitely live with some sub-par offense considering everything else he brings to the table. On the other hand, Barney is an asset to the Cubs in that he's a young, inexpensive starting infielder. His smart play is a steadying influence for Starlin Castro as he continues to learn the nuances of the game.

And Bleacher Nation added this:

Barney, 26, is having the best offensive season of his career, and is one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball. His .272/.319/.392 line doesn’t look like much, but it’s actually above average for starting second basemen this year. The Cubs would probably be quite content to hold onto Barney for the next few years, given that he’s emerged as a league average or better second baseman (I know, I can barely believe it myself), and he’s cheaply under control for some time yet.

*snip*​

I doubt Barney could bring back a top 100 prospect on his own, but if he were bundled with a pitcher to a team that needs a middle infielder? That could a package attractive enough to really net the Cubs the kind of haul to which they couldn’t say no.

Barney and Garza would be a pretty attractive package for Detroit or Atlanta :thinking:

 

[Rice Cube]

I think the "cheap production" part is going to increase your return for Barney, but at the same time you want to keep as much cheap production as you can. Tough call in my opinion. But he's not exactly that young either so I guess I'm ambivalent about this as I usually am about most things Cub :lol:

 

[dabynsky]

Yeah I don't see the need to move him unless you get a good return. Barney as a SS could help a lot of teams.

 

[waldo7239117]

No one said the Cubs are gunna get a good player in return for him.

 

[Rice Cube]

What is this, Barney's third season? He's also got the seventh year of control. Isn't arbitration eligible until 2014. That carries value even if the player himself looks mediocre. The fact that he is a plus defender and not completely useless at the plate makes him a valuable commodity at a middle infield position. He'll get something useful in return, but my argument is that if it's not an overpay, you're better off just keeping him around.

 

[Capt. Serious]

My god is there anyone on this team that is worth anything according to you?

Kinda hard when you (not you specifically) over hype every guy on the team.

 

[dabynsky]

Lets break this down shall we:
*Right now Darwin Barney is producing at an above average offensively for 2B or SS.
*Darwin Barney is capable of playing good defense at both 2B and SS
*He isn't a free agent until 2017
*He isn't arbitration eligible until 2014

He isn't a superstar player, and we are not expecting a top 100 prospect back for him. But the idea that the Cubs ought to just take whatever deal comes along for a productive, young, cheap player is stupid.

 

[DewsSox79]

demp,garza and dejesus may have some

soriano- no
campana-no
Lahair- not really
soto-no
barney-no

I mean the cubs want to build the farm but they dont have that many assets to do that on this club to trade away. they are a middle of the pack farm, they have really a handful of guys on the mlb squad that can get any return, when rizzo comes up the farm drops in rankings even more. So i dont get this whole thing.

 

[waldo7239117]

The only way I can see Barney being traded is with another player to make the deal better and make the Cubs return better.

Then Luis Valbuena moves to 2nd and Vitters is called up fr 3rd. I would love that, but unlikely.

 

[waldo7239117]

demp,garza and dejesus may have some

soriano- no
campana-no
Lahair- not really
soto-no
barney-no

I mean the cubs want to build the farm but they dont have that many assets to do that on this club to trade away. they are a middle of the pack farm, they have really a handful of guys on the mlb squad that can get any return, when rizzo comes up the farm drops in rankings even more. So i dont get this whole thing.

You forgot about Castro...UGH!

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

barney would part of some package(don't see what team would do an individual trade)....you might as well explore trading him but if the return isn't worth it..just keep him

 

[Rice Cube]

demp,garza and dejesus may have some

soriano- no
campana-no
Lahair- not really
soto-no
barney-no

I mean the cubs want to build the farm but they dont have that many assets to do that on this club to trade away. they are a middle of the pack farm, they have really a handful of guys on the mlb squad that can get any return, when rizzo comes up the farm drops in rankings even more. So i dont get this whole thing.

It depends on what you mean by "value". Everyone has value. Some have negative value until you throw in the whole salary. Theo/Jed's definition of "value" may not coincide with another GM's definition of "value". Whenever they can make it fair or even more advantageous to the Cubs, they will pull the trigger. Until that happens, nobody's getting moved.

 

[Rice Cube]

barney would part of some package(don't see what team would do an individual trade)....you might as well explore trading him but if the return isn't worth it..just keep him

Yeah, despite his production this season, Darwin Barney is going to be not much more than league average at discount prices. So very few GMs are likely (if at all) to part with anything of significance. He'd be a throw-in, not a stand-alone commodity.

 

[DewsSox79]

You forgot about Castro...UGH!

i doubt he would get dealt unless an idiot GM is out there thinking that he will be the next hanley ramirez and takes a chance.

 

[Rice Cube]

i doubt he would get dealt unless an idiot GM is out there thinking that he will be the next hanley ramirez and takes a chance.

If you want to trade Castro you need to be able to get "Castro potential" back and then some. Otherwise it's not worth it. Castro's also about to become expensive as he's Super Two starting next season so that would eat into the trade return.

 

[waldo7239117]

i doubt he would get dealt unless an idiot GM is out there thinking that he will be the next hanley ramirez and takes a chance.

I was joking. This trade speculation of Castro is crazy and makes no sense. He's only 22 and is younger than most prospects you would want in a deal. His D has imprived a lot, a .300 hitter and the power is still coming.

As he ages more, the walks will come.. That will just take time and Theo knows that, so he ain't going anywhere.

 

[Jntg4]

Bowden should be enough to net us Trout /sarcasm

Barney trade would net us less than the Lilly-Theriot trade, bench and two shit specs.

 

[bleacherbum54]

His .272/.319/.392 line doesn’t look like much, but it’s actually above average for starting second

Steriods in baseball for you pretty crazy. After the juice era now baseball is almost all pitching and not a ton of power.

 

[dabynsky]

Another article about the value of players that I thought was interesting given our discussion of what Darwin Barney is worth and how the market values players. Why Do First Basemen Get Paid So Much? | FanGraphs Baseball

 

[dabynsky]

Bruce Levine's chat today had this tidbit about Barney:

Teams have already asked about Barney, the Cubs haven't heard the right offer back yet. Detroit was the latest, 10 days ago. The Cubs aren't going to just give Barney away. He and Castro have started to form a pretty good double play combination. Valbuena has to prove himself. He's bene inconsistent where he's gone before.