Marlins acquire Matt Barnes from Red Sox for Bleier
The Miami Marlins acquired former All-Star closer Matt Barnes from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed reliever Richard Bleier, the clubs announced Monday.
The Red Sox designated right-hander Franklin German for assignment to make room for Bleier on the 40-man roster.
Boston designated Barnes for assignment last week. The 32-year-old is set to earn $7.5 million this season and has an $8-million club option with a $2.25-million buyout for the 2024 campaign.
This changes things... Red Sox with only a small amount of savings against the CBT (less than $1M) in the deal. So effectively a money wash Barnes-for-Bleier swap. https://t.co/yIzYCBCAFB
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 31, 2023
Barnes helped the Red Sox to a World Series victory in 2018. The hurler's best season came in 2021 when he saved a career-high 24 games with a 3.79 ERA and 84 strikeouts across 54 2/3 innings.
Barnes will provide new Marlins manager Skip Schumaker with another high-leverage relief option to complement Dylan Floro, Tanner Scott, and JT Chargois.
Bleier, 35, spent parts of three seasons with the Marlins. He owns a lifetime 14-6 record with a 3.06 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 308 appearances. Bleier has also made stops with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.