After spending his entire career with the Red Sox, Matt Barnes knows where to go next.
Boston traded a reliever to the Miami Marlins on Monday for left-handed reliever Richard Brier, according to multiple reports. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic Report Barnes first Veteran Miami baseball reporter Craig Misch on the move there was a return of Briar.
The Red Sox will pay part of the deal for Barnes, a move made to boost the return on the deal, Misch said. Barnes has one more season left in his two-year $18.75 million extension signed in 2021. His options for the club in 2024 are him $8 million.
Briar, who turns 36 in April, has spent parts of the past seven seasons in the majors. Red Sox fans may know his name because he made his major league debut with the Yankees and spent most of his major league career with the Orioles.
The lefty spent more than two seasons with Miami, appearing in 142 games. Last season, he appeared in his 55th game, and in Miami he pitched 50 2/3 innings. Brier said he posted a 3.55 ERA, took out 5.7 batters, and had 1.8 walks per nine innings. His 3.08 FIP since 2020 at least ranks him 12th among his 86 left-handed relievers who pitched 50 innings.
The Red Sox drafted Barnes last week after officially signing Adam Duvall. Barnes was the club’s longest-serving player prior to the DFA. The UConn product turned him big in 2014, pitching in his 429 regular season games and all done. He was sensational for the Red Sox in his 2018 World Series run for the club to his title.
Barnes’ willingness to steal the ball led to a new contract, but it may have cost him some effectiveness in the long run. After allowing a run, he started the 2022 campaign by allowing 15 runs in just 17 innings. He and the Marlins should be looking forward to a strong end to 2022 when he posted a 1.17 ERA in 16 games from Aug. 24 to the end of the season.
