The Red Sox are trading right-handed relievers Matt Barnes to the Marlins, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lefty reliever Richard Bleier is headed to Boston in return, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid.
Miami will also get cash considerations on top of this player-for-player swap, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Mish has that sum at about $1MM, to offset a portion of the $7.55MM salary that Barnes is owed in 2023 and the $2.5MM buyout on his $8MM club option for 2024. Bleier is due $3.5MM this season and carries a $3.75MM club option (or $250K buyout) for 2024.
Barnes was designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week following the completion of a one-year, $7MM agreement with the outfielder Adam Duvall. He served as Boston’s primary closer in 2021, earning 24 saves, but the 32-year-old promptly lost that job in 2022 and was going to be low among the team’s high-leverage considerations leading into the 2023 campaign following the December additions of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin.
Bleier fills the Sox’s need for left-handed bullpen help, even as he enters his age-36 season. The veteran southpaw has registered a 3.09 ERA in 125 1/3 innings since the beginning of 2020 and he’s held left-handed batters to a .225/.260/.313 slash line since he first reached the majors with the Yankees in 2016.
Barnes could get a fresh chance to carve out some save opportunities in Miami, though Dylan Floro is the projected frontrunner for that gig.
More to come.
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