Red Sox trade right-handed reliever Matt Burns Report to the Marlins Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. left-handed relief Richard Briar Head to Boston in return, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Misch.
Miami also receives cash consideration in addition to this player-to-player swap. Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson. misch the total is This is to offset a portion of Barnes’ $7.5 million salary due in 2023 and a $2.5 million buyout of an $8 million club option in 2024. Brayer owes $3.5 million this season and has a club option of $3.75 million (or $250). Assuming this is the final iteration of the deal, Miami will part ways with veteran Briar, taking a salary of just over $5 million to try to keep Barnes on track in his 2023 season.
Barnes, 32, was named by the Red Sox last week after completing a one-year, $7 million contract with the outfielder. Adam DuvallHe served as Boston’s primary closer in 2021 and amassed a team-leading 24 saves. He dominated with his 2.25 ERA and his 42% strikeout rate through August 4th. Barnes was impressive enough that the Sox signed him to a two-year, $18.75 MM extension in early July.
But in the final two months of the 2022 season, Barnes not only struggled, but melted down in devastating fashion. He pitched just 10 of his 2/3rd innings since August 5, recording 16 strikeouts on 17 hits and 9 walks. It was a disastrous end to what started as one of the best season he ever had in all of the major leagues as a reliever.
Burns had hoped to return in 2022, but lost the closer job early in the year after his ERA hit 7.94 by the end of May. Among high leverage considerations, the right arm will always be much lower. Kenley Jansen When Chris Martin — two moves largely necessitated by Barnes’ struggles.
That said, it’s worth pointing out that Barnes finished on a noteworthy note for Miami and other clubs. He was on the injured reserve list from early June to early August due to shoulder inflammation, but when he returned, he looked like the old Barnes. Starting that same August 4, Barnes pitched 22 2/3 innings with a 1.59 ERA and four saves. His 21.1% strikeout rate was half of his dominant form in 2021, but it was still a reassuring note to close out the season.
Barnes may finally get another chance to open up some save opportunities in Miami. Dylan Frollo The current projected frontrunner for that gig. Frollo has a 3.02 ERA in 2022 with the Marlins as he pitched 53 2/3 innings and over the past two years he has made 25 successful save attempts. Barnes made just eight saves in 2022 and finished with a 4.31 ERA in 39 2/3 frames. He adds significantly more bat-miss potential to a team that ranks him 13th among MLB clubs with his 24% strikeout percentage from the relief team in 2022, but minus the face is clear.
Briar, meanwhile, can still meet the needs of the Sox for help in the left-handed bullpen, even going into his 36-year-old season. The veteran southpaw has posted a 3.09 ERA in 125 1/3 innings since the start of 2020, and has topped . I’ve kept it down to the slashline of /.313. 2016. Boston traded lefty Josh Taylor to the Royals in exchange for Adalberto Mondesisent a veteran Jake Diekman Moved to White Sox at last year’s trade deadline (signed by 2023) and lost Darwinson Hernandez to the Orioles via waivers early this offseason.
They would get some quality left-handed innings from Briar, but despite his strong track record, there are some red flags to watch out for. The soft-toss southpaw hasn’t missed many bats, but his 14.4% strikeout rate last year was his lowest since 2019. But while his 52.5% mark last year was strong compared to league averages, it was nowhere near his 63.5% of his career mark that he brought into 2022 his season. Briar has also regularly avoided hard contact, but last year’s 89.6 mph escape velocity and 40.8% hard hit rate were his worst since his aforementioned debut in 2016.
Socks cut labor costs by more than $5 million due to swaps, cut Barnes’ $9.375 million hit, hooks Barnes’ remaining AAV, so also cuts luxury tax ledger by about $4.625 million will be The deal ($3.75MM) plus $1MM being sent to Miami in a swap. would give them a mid-range savior with some particularly promising numbers against. Being able to control him through his 2024 via his $3.75 million affordable option is the icing on the cake.
As for the Marlins, they add a second-half upside to their bullpen with this exchange. The added impact of the luxury tax doesn’t matter to the Marlins club, which is far from the luxury tax line and has never been anywhere near it. Fans may find it frustrating to ship Relief with better surface-level numbers equivalent to Burns’ Rebirth project, but Fish pitches young in hopes of unleashing a high-leverage Relief. I’m willing to bet on Barnes, who is hard to beat. That will be controlled affordably through the 2024 season via his $8 million option. And if Barnes can actually get back in shape, if Miami can pull himself out of postseason contention altogether, he’ll give Miami an interesting arm to market this summer.
