PORT ST. LUCIE — Austin Barnes has 11 years in the majors and a pair of World Series rings from his days with the Dodgers.
So what is he doing at spring training with the Mets, who have Francisco Alvarez behind the plate and Luis Torrens as a solid backup?
“I just want to play baseball,” Barnes said. “I’m gonna go out there and see what happens. I think I still have some ball left in me, so I just want to keep going.”
The 36-year-old’s time with the Dodgers ended last May, when he was released.
A month later, Barnes signed with the Giants and spent about a month with Triple-A Sacramento before being released again.
Now, he’s giving it another shot with the Mets, who signed Barnes to a minor league deal in January.
He’s unsure how much longer he wants to keep playing, or whether he’d be willing to play in the minors again, but with a week left until Opening Day, Barnes insisted he’s not done yet and hopes to get a shot in Queens.
“This is a really good group,” Barnes said recently. “They’ve got a chance to do something special.”
Barnes has a unique perspective, having been a key part of the Dodgers’ title in 2020 and then serving in a backup role in 2024, when Los Angeles knocked off the Yankees in five games.
“You never know how a team is gonna come together, but the talent is here,” Barnes said. “This roster is as talented as any team in the major leagues. It just has to come together organically.”
And Barnes hopes he’s a part of it.
“I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had and I’m trying to make the most of them,” he said. “I came here because I like winning. I don’t like not being competitive, and they have aspirations of winning here.”
Whether that will include Barnes remains to be seen, and he’s not sure how much longer he’ll play.
“I have kids now and I always thought I’d play till they ripped the jersey off,” Barnes said. “But that decision gets a little harder now than when you’re young.”
His attitude, though, still hasn’t changed.
“I feel I can go do it, so why not?” Barnes said. “I love baseball. It hasn’t always been easy. I feel this is something I owe to myself to go out there. And I’d like my son to see me play more, too. He’s 5 now and been around, but he’s starting to understand more. So yeah, I’ll probably play till they rip the jersey off.”
But even if Barnes doesn’t get back to the majors with the Mets, the veteran backstop has had an impact this spring by working with the team’s other catchers.
“He’s very intelligent with knowing pitchers and running a team, really,” Hayden Senger said. “He’s been doing it so long. He knows how to approach at-bats [as a catcher] and that you have to know a pitcher’s strength for a Plan A, but that you always have to have a Plan B and C to navigate big league hitters. It’s great having him around.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
