Tucker Barnhart was still being paid by the Cubs in 2024 as he was in the second year of a 2 year deal he signed with them in the previous offseason, but the Cubbies released him late in the 2023 season and he was a free agent to sign with whoever he wished during the 2023-24 offseason. In January, he decided to take a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and fight for the backup catcher slot with Jose Herrera behind Gabriel Moreno.
Barnhart didn’t have an earth shaking Spring Training at the plate (.635 OPS in 31 PA), but signing Barnhart was never about his bat, which had never been better than 10% below average per wRC+ in his 10 year career.