When the Red Sox designated Matt Barnes for assignment last week, the expectation was that, thanks to the reliever's inconsistency and remaining salary obligations, the team would eventually end up releasing Barnes and getting nothing in return.
Viewed through that lens, the trade Monday that sent Barnes to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran lefty Richard Bleier can be seen as a small victory.
The Red Sox will include ''just under'' $1 million to the Marlins as part of the deal, according to an industry source.
Bleier, 35, gives the Red Sox a second lefty in the bullpen to go with Joely Rodriguez, whom the Sox signed as a free agent last November. The team had expressed an interest in a number of free-agent lefties in recent weeks, including Matt Moore and others. But Bleier fulfills that role in the bullpen.
BSJ ANALYSIS
Barnes is set to make $7.5 million in 2023 and an $8 million club option for 2024 with a $2.25 million buyout. Meanwhile, Bleier will earn $3.5 million in 2023 with a club option for $3.75 million in 2024 and a $250,000 buyout.
The important calculus here, from a payroll standpoint, is that Barnes was set to count for $9.375 million toward the CBT in 2023 while Bleier will count for $3.75 million. Even with the Red Sox tossing in approximately $5.5 million to the Marlins to offset the differences in salary, the Red Sox will end up in a net-neutral position when it comes to payroll and the CBT thresholds.
In Bleier, the Red Sox are getting an effective weapon against lefties, with seven years of big league experience. Last year, pitching for Miami, Bleier appeared in 55 games and posted a 3.55 ERA and a FIP of 3.27 and a WHIP of 1.441. He allowed 63 hits in 50 innings, but his walk rate was just 4.5 percent, far below the MLB average of 8.5.
Against lefties, Bleier allowed a .676 OPS. Righthanders were far more effective against him, posting an OPS of .883.
The "three batter minimum rule,'' introduced a few seasons ago, has made it tougher for teams to have lefty specialists face only lefty hitters, though they can still be effective with two outs and a lefthanded hitter due.
Bleier's delivery is unorthodox, with a sidearm motion that makes him an especially difficult for lefty hitters. While he doesn't miss a lot of bats (just 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 2022), he limits hard contact. Last season, he finished in the 90th percentile when it came to hitters barreling the ball against him.
Bleier previously pitched for the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles before joining Miami in a deal at the trade deadline in 2020.
He's part of a winter bullpen makeover for the Red Sox, who signed Rodriguez, closer Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin as free agents.
They've also lost Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor, two other lefty relief pieces.
In order to make room for Bleier on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated righthander Franklin German. German was part of the deal that saw the Sox acquire Adam Ottavino in January of 2021. He appeared in five games for Boston last year after splitting time between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.