The Red Sox’s trade of the recently designated Matt Barnes to the Marlins for lefthanded reliever Richard Bleier is the latest move to remake the bullpen. We’ll see a lot more strikes, fewer walks, and late leads converted into wins more often than not in 2023.
The #RedSox today acquired LHP Richard Bleier from the Miami Marlins, in exchange for RHP Matt Barnes and cash considerations.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 30, 2023
To make room for Bleier on the 40-man roster, Boston designated RHP Franklin German for assignment.
The Barnes for Bleier trade is essentially a financial wash for the Red Sox; they’re sending approximately $5 million to Miami.
Boston turned a lost Matt Barnes into a successful MLB lefty (something they needed) that fits the club’s offseason pitching blueprint without adding salary. Seeing as they need another middle infielder and have just under $9 million to spend before reaching the first Competitive Balance Tax threshold, I’d call that a good trade.
Barnes for Bleier Trade Latest Move of Bullpen Remodel
Boston’s bullpen had the ninth-most blown saves (27), sixth-highest walk rate (9.9 percent), fifth-highest barrel rate (8 percent), and highest hard hit rate (40 percent). They were 26th in ERA (4.59), 21st in swinging strike rate (11.4 percent), 19th in flyball rate (37 percent), 18th in ground ball rate (43 percent), and 17th in strikeout rate (23 percent).
The Sox needed to add power after ranking 20th in MLB with 155 home runs last season. They also just needed bodies after losing Xander Bogaerts in free agency and Trevor Story to elbow surgery.
In comes power-hitting outfielder Adam Duvall, an above-average outfielder anywhere you put him, for the power.
Boston chose Barnes, not Ryan Brasier, Kaleb Ort, or anyone else of their caliber, to DFA for Duvall.
Enrique Hernandez is likely moving to the infield now, with the outfield all but covered after the addition of Raimel Tapia, a speedy and good defender who’s not terrible offensively, on a minor league deal.
At the time of his extension, Matt Barnes was in the midst of a dominant season as Red Sox closer.
Over his first 43 innings of 2021, he had a 2.30 ERA/2.15 FIP with 11 walks, 66 strikeouts, and 23 of 27 saves. But he wasn’t the same from August 2021 through the end of the season (11.2 innings, 12 runs, nine walks, 18 strikeouts). Really, he hadn’t been good for about a calendar year. From August 2021 through July 2022, Matt Barnes gave the Red Sox 28.2 innings, allowing 30 runs (27 earned), with 21 walks and 32 strikeouts.
He missed two months of 2022 because he was so bad, but when he returned in August, he showed glimpses of being useful but just wasn’t the same.
Red Sox Trade Matt Barnes to Marlins for Useful Lefty
Richard Bleier, who’s no stranger to the A.L. East, excels at limiting walks (94-99th percentile the last three full seasons). In addition to limiting walks, the south Florida native pitches to contact and generates ground balls at a very high rate (54 percent or higher every season of his career).
Bleier had a 3.55 ERA/3.27 FIP/3.78 xERA with ten walks, 32 strikeouts, and three home runs allowed over 50.2 innings with the Marlins in 2022.
As good as Bleier is (3.06 career ERA/3.49 FIP over seven seasons), he’s more of a matchup lefty. He allowed a .676 opponent OPS vs. lefties in 2022 and a .573 opponent OPS vs. them in his career.
Boston was missing that second lefty after trading Josh Taylor to the Royals for shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, a speedy, defense-first shortstop who’s never healthy (aka Sox needed a body). Now they have that lefty, though they had to eat a decent chunk of Matt Barnes’ salary in this trade to do it.
Chris Sale’s former college teammate is owed $3.5 million in 2023 and has a $3.75 million option for 2024 or a $250,000 buyout.
In another surprising move, the Red Sox designated their number 22 prospect per soxprospects.com, Franklin German, for assignment for Bleier. German, acquired in the Adam Ottavino trade, had recently participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program.
German struggled in his very brief cup of coffee in 2022 (four innings, eight runs) but was really good in the minors last season (2.72 ERA, 64 strikeouts, 19 walks over 49.2 innings in Worcester). There has to be a trade in the works because this move makes little sense otherwise.
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