The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander Jacob Barnes from the Mets for fellow righty Troy Miller, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Mets only recently designated Barnes for assignment.
Barnes doesn’t have an arsenal with much versatility, relying mostly on a 94.4 mph fastball and 88.9 mph cutter. No matter the pitch mix, Barnes could not avoid the long ball in his 18 2/3 innings with the Mets this season, serving up six long balls and a 25.0 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate. A 12.5 percent barrel rate was by far the highest of his career.
He did a decent job of limiting free passes (6.3 percent walk rate) and keeping the ball out of the air (49.1 percent groundball rate), but it wasn’t enough to stem the tide. The 31-year-old leaves New York with a 7.27 ERA/6.22 FIP, but a 4.29 xFIP gives at least some indication that he’s been the recipient of tough luck this season.
Miller is a University of Michigan alum who signed as an non-drafted free agent with the Blue Jays in 2018. The 24-year-old began the year at High-A, earning a promotion after three starts with a 1.84 ERA. With Double-A New Hampshire, Miller has tossed 20 innings with a 7.20 ERA.
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