It took less than a week for the Red Sox to find a new home for reliever Matt Barnes.

Designated for assignment by the organization last week, the 32-year-old’s Boston tenure officially came to an end Monday with word that Chaim Bloom & Co. have sent Barnes to the Marlins.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the completion of the trade.

• Matt Barnes is heading to the Marlins in a trade, sources tell @TheAthletic. Designated for assignment by Red Sox last week.

  — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 30, 2023

• Coming off a 2022 campaign that featured an 0-4 record with a 4.31 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 39.2 innings of work, it was a second-half surge that came with glimpses of Barnes looking closer to his 2021 All-Star form.

  Tagged for just four earned runs and a 1.59 ERA in 22.2 innings of work over 24 appearances following the All-Star break, that 1.59 ERA was tops among all full-time relievers for the Red Sox over the second half of the season, with John Schreiber and his 2.87 ERA over his 30 second-half appearances the next-best figure in the Boston pen. Expanding it outside of Boston, Barnes’ 1.59 ERA in the second half ranked as the 22nd-best mark among 168 relievers with at least 20 innings pitched over the second half of the season.

  Barnes also held batters to a .226 batting average, which ranked third in batting average against among second-half relievers still with the organization, trailing only Garrett Whitlock (.214) and Tanner Houck (.150).

• 

  Jun 29, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (32) is congratulated by catcher Christian Vazquez (7) after defeating the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• Barnes, a first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2011, has spent his entire 429-game MLB career with Boston. During his time with the Red Sox, Barnes posted a 32-30 record with 47 saves and 101 holds over 431.2 innings.

  A Danbury, Conn. native, Barnes was also part of the 2018 Red Sox team that won the World Series.

  Barnes was entering the second year of a two-year extension worth just under $19 million signed in 2021.

• 

  MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 06: Richard Bleier #35 of the Miami Marlins delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at loanDepot park on April 06, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Mark Brown/Getty Images)

• In exchange for Barnes, the Marlins will send reliever Richard Bleier to Boston.

  A 35-year-old lefty, Bleier is coming off a 2022 season that featured a 2-2 record and 3.55 ERA in 50.2 innings of work over 55 appearances. Bleier did post career-worsts in both WHIP (1.44) and batting average against (.301), but is also not that far removed from a 2021 campaign that included a career-best 20 holds for Miami.

  Bleier also adds a lefty arm to a Boston bullpen that’s sorely needed one, with Joely Rodriguez, who is joining the Red Sox after spending last season with the Mets, the only lefty currently in the mix for Alex Cora’s bullpen for the 2023 season.

• 

  MIAMI, FLORIDA – JUNE 03: Richard Bleier #35 of the Miami Marlins throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at loanDepot park on June 03, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Eric Espada/Getty Images)

• In The Show since 2016, Bleier has experience in the American League East from his time with the Yankees and Orioles, and comes to Boston with a 14-6 record, five saves, and 52 holds in 308 career games between New York, Baltimore, and Miami.

  Bleier has also done a solid job of keeping the ball in the yard, with just seven home runs allowed since the start of the 2020 MLB season, and with over 120 innings of work over that span.

  Financially speaking, the Red Sox will also grab a ‘win’ with this trade, as it will cut almost $5 million from the team’s competitive balance tax.

• Forgot about the new CBT trade rule (s/o @jaketodonnell)
  
  Bleier will count $3.75m against the CBT ($3.5m in '23 + $0.25m buyout)
  
  Barnes was going to count for $9.375m against the CBT.
  
  If the Red Sox send $1m to Miami, they're cutting $4.625m from the CBT. Nice bit of business.

  — Chris Hatfield (@SPChrisHatfield) January 30, 2023

Get The 98.5 The Sports Hub Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Stay up to date with the latest Boston sports news and analysis, local events, exclusive contests, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.