Red Sox Make Very Surprising Move; Designate All-Star Reliever For Assignment

Boston made a shocking move Tuesday

Scott Neville | Jan 24, 2023

Red Sox Make Very Surprising Move; Designate All-Star Reliever For Assignment /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox made the most shocking move of the team's offseason Tuesday.

Boston opted to cut ties with a homegrown talent many expected to bounce back in 2023.

The Red Sox designated Matt Barnes for assignment to make room for outfielder Adam Duvall on the 40-man roster.

Barnes has not been reliable since the 2021 All-Star break, but should not have been next up to be designated for assignment.

The right-hander went 0-4 with a 4.31 ERA, 34-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .240 batting average against in 39 2/3 innings last season.

His final stat line was far from impressive, but he turned a corner at the All-Star break and appeared to be his old self down the stretch.

In the second half of the season, Barnes posted a 1.59 ERA, 20-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.24 WHIP in 22 2/3 innings.

Barnes deserved a shot to bounce back and was instead bumped off the team over the likes of Ryan Brasier, Kaleb Ort and Wyatt Mills.

Boston will pay Barnes $7.5 million this season to play for someone else unless they can swing a trade before he hits waivers.

They likely saved no money, cut him over far less talented relievers, and do not have enough depth in the bullpen to replace him.

This move is not just questionable, it's bad.

More MLB: Rays Sign Ex-Red Sox Hurler To Bolster Pitching Depth For 2023 Season

Published Jan 24, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu