Mets sign World Series winner Austin Barnes as spring training nears

Austin Barnes, who won a pair of World Series titles with the Dodgers, signed a minor league deal with the Mets, the team announced Thursday.Barnes received an invitation to major league spring training.The 36-year-old Barnes appeared in just 13 games for the Dodgers last season before he was released in May.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

A month later, Barnes signed a minor league contract with the Giants, but didn’t make it back to the majors and was released in August.He’ll try to extend his career with the Mets, who have Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger on their 40-man roster.Barnes spent 11 seasons with Los Angeles, most recently as a backup to Will Smith, prior to being designated for assignment to make room for catching prospect Dalton Rushing.Known for his excellent work behind the plate, Barnes appeared in the playoffs in eight of his 11 seasons with the Dodgers.The Mets also announced their signing of Craig Kimbrel to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training after the 37-year-old former closer split last season between Atlanta and Houston....