Clayton Kershaw makes feelings known on “best friend” Austin Barnes getting DFA’d

It was only a matter of time before the LA Dodgers were going to pull the plug on veteran catcher Austin Barnes to make space for top prospect Dalton Rushing. After it happened on Wednesday, one of Barnes' best friends on the team, Clayton Kershaw, felt disappointed.

Barnes has long been Kershaw’s personal catcher, highlighting how much trust the legendary pitcher has had in the catcher. When he's on the mound, Kershaw prefers Barnes behind the plate, often citing his ability to understand pitch sequencing and game flow.

Kershaw shared his feelings after the club DFA'd Barnes, who was behind the plate the most number of times (68 games) for the legendary pitcher, trailing only A.J. Ellis.

"I think everybody was surprised. Yeah," Kershaw said (via Jack Harris of LA Times).

"It's sad. Barnesy's one of my best friends on or off the field. You won't find a guy that competes better than Austin Barnes. He wants to win more than anybody, and he always found a way, and he came up with some big moments for us throughout the years.

Kershaw highlighted that while he understands the need for the move, given Rushing was performing so well in the minors, he feels sad for Barnes, recalling his top moments for the team.

"I think a lot of people forget he was starting a lot of playoff games and winning a lot of games for us, getting big knocks," Kershaw added.

"It's sad to see someone like that go who's been here that long, and I think we all kind of feel it. It's no disrespect to Dalton. I know he deserves it, and he's going to be a great player. It's just for me, personally, I think for a lot of guys on the team, it was disappointing to see him go."

One of the reasons why the Dodgers front office might have considered to DFA Austin Barnes was his weakened arm during his last game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where the opposition swiped three bags. One of the throws came off a short hop, while the other went over the infielder into the outfield.

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Freddie Freeman makes feelings known on Austin Barnes' DFA move

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman understands what it's like to get designated for assignment after spending 11 seasons in the majors, all with the same club.

“Obviously Austin has been a huge part of this organization for a long time, he’s been in the middle of a lot of really big moments for us,” Friedman said. “His impact has been significant. So it was one of the harder decisions.”

During his stint (2015-present) with the club, Austin Barnes played a handful of roles in helping the Dodgers win two World Series.