Barnes didn’t expect to leave Boston, but he’s ready for a fresh start
Matt Barnes was blindsided when the Red Sox designated him for assignment last week, but there are no hard feelings.
“I mean we won a handful of division titles, went to the ALCS, and won a World Series,” Barnes said during his introductory Marlins news conference Tuesday. “So I don’t look back on my time with the Red Sox with any animosity.”
The Red Sox ultimately found a trade partner in the Marlins, sending the reliever — who turned himself into an All-star in 2021 but lost his way shortly thereafter — to Miami in exchange for lefthander Richard Bleier.
Barnes held his opponents to a .174 batting average before the break in 2021, registering a 2.61 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 38 innings. Over the next season and a half the righthander struggled, putting together a 4.95 ERA in 66 games.
“Probably single handedly the most frustrating stretch of my career,” Barnes said. “I go from being an All-star closer to not making a postseason roster to being terrible for two months. And then on the IL for another two months [in 2022]. Like, you went from the highest to the lowest in the blink of an eye.”
Barnes hinted at the idea that he might have been overworked by the Sox after retweeting a graphic that showed his usage over the years. Barnes did not comment on sharing the post.
However, earlier in the presser, Barnes noted a stretch that began at the start of August against Toronto. Barnes was used six times during an 12-day stretch and threw twice on Aug. 7 in a doubleheader against the Blue Jays. It was then that Barnes felt his stuff begin to fade.
“I kind of lost my mechanics a little bit,” Barnes said. “I got tired. So then I tried to create more and then created really bad habits.”
The book closing with the Red Sox, though, comes with appreciation.
“I’m incredibly thankful for everything that they’ve given me and the opportunities that they’ve given me,” Barnes said. “We did a lot of really, really good things in that city.”
Green jumps from Yankees to Jays:
Free agent reliever Chad Green and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to an $8.5 million, two-year contract on Tuesday.
The deal includes options for 2025 and 2026 and could be worth $29.25 million over four seasons.
Green is likely to miss at least the early portion of this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He injured his pitching elbow last May with the New York Yankees and was sidelined the rest of the year.
The right-hander got off to a solid start last season with a 3.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 15 innings. He left New York’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 19 with right forearm discomfort and three days later the Yankees announced he needed Tommy John surgery.
Typical recovery time for the ligament-replacement procedure is 12-18 months.
Green gets a $2.25 million salary this year, and the Blue Jays must decide after this season whether to exercise a club option calling for $9 million salaries in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Green has a conditional player option for 2024 at $6.25 million that can be exercised only if Toronto declines its option. Green’s conditional option includes performance bonuses of up to $1 million: $250,000 each for 40, 45, 50 and 55 appearances.
If both the Blue Jays and Green decline their initial options, Toronto has a conditional option at $10.5 million annually for 2024 and 2025. Those options have $1 million in performance bonuses for appearances: $500,000 each for 60 and 65 games.
The 31-year-old Green is 33-22 with a 3.17 ERA in seven major league seasons, all with the Yankees. He has 11 saves and 53 holds.
Green has struck out 494 batters and walked only 96 in 383 innings. He set personal bests in 2021 with 10 wins, 67 appearances and 83 innings while posting a 3.12 ERA.