Boston Red Sox in-house closing options for 2023

Is Matt Barnes worth the risk (again)?

Red Sox Nation has given up on Matt Barnes numerous times, and in each instance, it was both earned and deserved. The 2022 season was no exception, and the righty picked up right where he left off in the second half of 2021, and that was by being a pitching punching bag.

Red Sox fans know by rote the 2021 saga of Barnes. Top-of-the-line shutdown closer with his heater (the high 90s) and a knee-buckling twelve to six curve ball. Barnes was rewarded with a healthy contract extension and an All-Star selection. The second half saw his ERA balloon to 6.48.

Last season Barnes pitched his way into Cora’s doghouse and saw his role diminish to pure mop-up duty. Then came a stint on the IL and a long rehab in the bushes where Barnes did little to impress. That the Red Sox didn’t eat the contract was a surprise, but the real surprise was Barnes’s last two months that were a solid August (2.92) and a clean September/October. Barnes picked up five saves, a blown save, two holds, and a loss in that timeframe. Is this a tease?

I buried Barnes when even the Rookie League bats were knocking Barnes around. Then he was a Pheonix and rose to show the same stuff he did in the 2021 sample. Barnes will hang around at $8.375 MM, but his role may not be defined until 30+ games have been played.