Red Sox DFA longest-tenured player Barnes
BOSTON — Following the departure of Xander Bogaerts through free company to the Padres in December, righty reliever Matt Barnes grew to become the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox.
However, Barnes did not maintain that distinction for lengthy. The Red Sox designated the veteran for project on Tuesday to make room on the roster for free-agent acquisition Adam Duvall.
The roster transfer got here as a shock because of the truth Boston has different relievers on the roster who’re much less confirmed than Barnes, a 2021 All-Star who is because of make $7.5 million in ’23, the ultimate 12 months of his contract.
When a participant is designated for project, he’s instantly taken off the 40-man roster and the membership has seven days to commerce him or place him on irrevocable waivers.
Why was Barnes the odd man out?
“Obviously a really, really difficult decision,” mentioned Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. “The dialog itself [with Barnes] was one of many harder ones that I’ve had. Obviously the DFA course of must play out, so there is a restricted quantity that I need to say about it till it does.
“But, you already know, I believe greater than something, that is only a operate of the place we’re at within the offseason and with our 40-man roster. There are not any simple selections and no matter latest accomplishments, no matter what they’ve underneath their belts of their careers, all people on our 40-man roster has actual worth.
“And so that forces tough choices, and it’s obviously something we’ve been working through all offseason. And today we landed on Matt, but beyond that, it’s certainly nothing negative about him. I think it’s more a statement of where we’re at with the 40-man roster, and beyond that I want to see the process play out first before saying more.”
The Red Sox chosen Barnes out of UConn with their first-round choice (nineteenth general) within the 2011 Draft.
A starter in school and within the Minor Leagues, Barnes become a reliever when he bought his preliminary call-up in 2014 and remained in that position for years.
By 2016, Barnes grew to become one in all Boston’s most trusted relievers, a distinction he carried for years.
He was dominant at occasions, notably for Boston’s 2018 World Series championship staff. In that postseason, Barnes made 10 appearances and held opponents to a .103 common, giving up only one run in 8 2/3 innings.
In 2021, Barnes bought the prospect to develop into the full-time nearer, and he initially excelled within the position, making the All-Star staff and posting a 2.30 ERA with 23 saves by July 31. The Red Sox inked him to a two-year contract extension earlier that July.
Barnes struggled mightily down the stretch, posting a 9.26 ERA from Aug. 1 on and dropping the nearer’s position
Those struggles continued into final season, however Barnes eventually shook free from his droop after coming off the injured checklist in August. In his ultimate 24 appearances of the season, Barnes had a 1.59 ERA.
He will now attempt to carry over that momentum with a brand new staff.
The Red Sox could have a new-look bullpen in 2023, led by veteran nearer Kenley Jensen and setup males Chris Martin and Joely Rodríguez.
Ryan Brasier, now one in all simply three holdovers from the 2018 title staff, will even be a part of the combo.
The Red Sox even have a number of hard-throwing younger pitchers who will struggle for spots in Spring Training.
“This is not an easy move, but one that we felt was the right one, and really isn’t anything bad about Matt, who I’m sure is going to continue to have success in his career,” mentioned Bloom. “It was just a question of where we felt we were, how we see the ‘pen coming together and what those other guys have a chance to do for us.”
