Former Dodgers All-Star Reacts to Austin Barnes' Shocking DFA

"(You're) the best!!!" Jansen wrote on his Instagram account.

In terms of innings pitched, Jansen has only thrown to Yasmani Grandal (189) and A.J. Ellis (194) more than he's thrown to Barnes (90.1). With Barnes behind the plate, Jansen limited opponents to a .491 OPS — lower than Ellis (.511), Grandal (.551), and any other receiver who caught Jansen for more than 34 innings.

Opponents drew only 17 walks (compared to a remarkable 123 strikeouts) when Barnes was catching Jansen. Part of that is a testament to the dominant closer Jansen was at his peak.

It's also a testament to Barnes' framing and receiving skills that Jansen was able to pitch to opponents in favorable counts as often as he was. The surface-level stats bear that out — and so too, to a degree, does Jansen's three-word salute on social media to a beloved former teammate.

Given his personal experience throwing to the catcher, Jansen's claim that Barnes is "the best" is entirely merited.

That's an important point to consider when assessing the career of Barnes, who hit .214 as the backup to starting catcher Will Smith when he was cut after Tuesday's game against the A's.

From the time of his 2015 debut, Barnes made his bones as a hard-nosed catcher, willing to get dirty, frame pitches with the best of his peers, and ably call a game for one of the league's best pitching staffs.

Although never a slugger, Barnes' ability to draw walks and put the ball in play endeared him to the organization as a viable backup.

That the Dodgers waited as long as they did to cut Barnes speaks to his value in the organization. Jansen, who's fourth on the all-time saves list, provides a valuable endorsement as well.