The Boston Red Sox are officially closing the book on an era.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports Tuesday that the Red Sox have designated veteran reliever Matt Barnes for assignment. Cotillo describes the decision as “shocking” but notes that the team needed to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for newly-signed outfielder Adam Duvall.
The 32-year-old Barnes had been a staple in the Red Sox bullpen over the last nine seasons and was expected to retain a big role in 2023. He made 10 appearances for Boston during their 2018 World Series-winning campaign (giving up just one earned run) and also made the All-Star team in 2021. While Barnes struggled a bit in 2022 (with a 4.31 ERA in 41 games), he battled a shoulder injury for much of the year.
For the Red Sox, who will now have seven days to release, trade or waive Barnes, it has been an offseason of widespread changes. They lost Xander Bogaerts, Nathan Eovaldi, JD Martinez and Rich Hill in free agency while also designating Eric Hosmer for assignment. Though there have been some notable adds (signings of Justin Turner, Chris Martin and Corey Kluber, plus a trade for Adalberto Mondesi), Red Sox fans are not happy and recently let management hear it.
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