Ex-Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes hasn't hidden his feelings on the trade that sent him to the Miami Marlins this offseason.
Barnes called his DFA and subsequent trade a "complete blindside" and described his stunned reaction to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom calling him to break the news. On Tuesday, with the Marlins and Red Sox facing off at spring training, Barnes shared more thoughts on his exit.
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“I’m not mad and I don’t have any animosity toward the Red Sox organization because that organization represents so much more than who’s currently running it," Barnes told The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. "The people at the top were so great to me.”
That "so much more than who's currently running it" line certainly sounds like a shot fired at Bloom. Barnes doesn't hold a grudge against the organization or the "people at the top" (presumably the ownership group), but it makes sense that he isn't fond of the individual responsible for ending his Red Sox tenure.
Barnes struggled to find a consistent role in Boston's bullpen since signing a two-year contract extension with the club in 2021. Since then, the 32-year-old has posted a 4.95 ERA in 66 appearances.
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Despite the spring matchup on Tuesday, Barnes will wait until the Marlins' midseason trip to Fenway Park to catch up with his former teammates.
“I’m not going to stick around for the game," he told Abraham. "I'll be buddy-buddy when we play them in June."
The Red Sox received left-handed reliever Richard Bleier in exchange for Barnes. Bleier, 35, posted a 3.55 ERA in 55 appearances (50.2 innings) with Miami last season. He previously spent time with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.