The Boston Red Sox had a disappointing season in 2022, finishing at the bottom of the AL East with a 78-84. They made a number of acquisitions in free agency to shake things up in 2023, but it appears former All-Star reliever Matt Barnes will not be a part of those plans.
Boston signed former Atlanta Braves outfielder Adam Duvall on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, they have designated Barnes for assignment.
This means that Boston will now have seven days to either trade Barnes to an interested team or release him.
The veteran reliever has been with the Red Sox for the entirety of his nine-year MLB career, making an All-Star game in 2021 with the organization.
His performance slipped in the 2022 season, finishing with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.437 WHIP in 44 appearances on the year.
Many Red Sox fans were completely shocked by this news and took to social media to wish Barnes the best in his future endeavors around the MLB.
Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom discussed the decision to designate Barnes for assignment on Tuesday, saying that it was a “really difficult decision”.
“Obviously a really really difficult decision,” said Bloom via NBC Sports Boston. “The conversation itself was one of the more difficult ones that I have had. I think more than anything I think more than anything this is a function of where we’re at in the offseason and with our 40-man roster. There are no easy decisions.”
Barnes is just 32 years old and given his years of solid production for the Red Sox, he should have no issues sticking on another team’s 40-man roster in 2023.
[Boston Red Sox on Twitter, NBC Sports Boston on Twitter]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.