It sounds like one former Boston Red Sox hurler is about to find a new home.
There still are some solid free agents out there and one player who still is looking for his next opportunity is former Red Sox All-Star Matt Barnes. The veteran reliever has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons and is still available.
It sounds like that won't be the case for much longer, though. Barnes reportedly has made "good progress" on a possible deal with the Washington Nationals, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.
"Former Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes has made good progress on a deal with the Nationals, source confirms," Cotillo said. "Not quite all done yet. Assuming that a Matt Barnes-Nationals deal comes to fruition, it would likely be a minor league deal."
If Barnes is healthy, he could be of some help for Washington. He's just 33 years old and is a 10-year big league veteran. He's dealt with some injuries over the last two seasons, but was an All-Star in 2021.
Barnes has a 4.13 career ERA in 453 total appearances with the Red Sox and Miami Marlins. From 2017 to 2021 he had a 3.82 ERA in 286 games with a 404-to-131 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
If he can get back to that level of play, he would be a solid pickup if Washington is able to finalize a deal. It wouldn't be surprising to see Barnes get a minor-league deal due to his struggles with injuries over the last two seasons. But, if he's healthy don't be surprised if he's back in the big leagues in 2024.
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