Red Sox trade Matt Barnes to the Marlins, acquires lefty Richard Bleier
The Red Sox traded All-Star reliever Matt Barnes six days after the club designated him for assignment. Barnes will head to the Miami Marlins in exchange for lefty Richard Bleier, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated righty Franklin German for assignment.
To complete this deal, Boston will also send the Marlins roughly $5.5 million in cash, per Craig Mish. This essentially makes the deal a cash-neutral swap.
Bleier will make $3.5 million in 2023 and he also has a $3.75 million club option that includes a $250,000 buy out for 2024.
The new Red Sox southpaw carries a $3.75 million competitive balance tax threshold hit for 2023. When you couple that with the $5.5 million in cash it brings the Red Sox to a similar number to the $9.375 million hit had the Sox kept Barnes.
The 35-year-old Bleier is a veteran of seven major league seasons. With the Marlins in 2022, he posted a 3.55 ERA and 3.27 FIP with 32 strikeouts to 10 walks in 55 relief appearances 50 2/3 innings pitched.
The Florida native features a five-pitch mix that consists of a sinker, a cutter, a slider, a changeup, and a rarely-used four-seam fastball that typically sits between 90-91 mph.
Bleier is one of the many new arms that will come out of the bullpen this season. The Red Sox added Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Joely RodrÃguez in free agency and acquired Wyatt Mills from the Royals in a trade.
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