MLB trade grades: Chaim Bloom gets another rare win with Matt Barnes deal

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom isn’t popular among Boston fans but he scored a rare win with the Matt Barnes trade with the Marlins on Monday.

Even after signing Rafael Devers to a monster extension this offseason, Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom definitely isn’t a fan favorite still. He’s been booed on several occasions this offseason, as has owner John Henry. But credit where it’s due, not everything Bloom has orchestrated has been bad.

Monday held another example of that. After the team elected to DFA reliever Matt Barnes last week and with the start of Spring Training looming, the Red Sox found a trade partner for the veteran former All-Star as they pulled off a deal with the Marlins.

Ken Rosenthal was first to report the trade while Craig Mish followed up with the return package for Boston.

Matt Barnes trade details for Red Sox, Marlins

Here’s a look at the details of the trade between Boston and Miami.

In addition to the swap of veteran relievers, Boston is reportedly also sending nearly $1 million in cash to the Marlins as Barnes was owed $7.5 million in 2023 with a $2.25 million buyout for next year.

Matt Barnes trade grades: Red Sox upgrade while Marlins take a gamble

Both teams clearly have plans in place for this trade, but it definitely looks better for the Boston side of things right now than it does for Miami.

Red Sox Trade Grade: B+

The decision to DFA Barnes last week spoke to the disappointing output for the right-hander as of late. After earning an All-Star appearance in the first half of the 2021 season, Barnes fell off as he dealt with a number of injuries but, more importantly, ineffective and laboring outings out of the bullpen.

Now the Red Sox are swapping a player they clearly had no plans regarding for Bleier. The 35-year-old is not only a former college teammate of Chris Sale but is a lefty specialist that will help fill the voids left by the Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor trades from this offseason. His presence should be much needed playing home games at Fenway and by giving a southpaw presence in a bullpen that has been heavily reshaped this offseason.

All that keeps this from being an A grade is having to send cash to Miami and the fact that Bleier has been less effective in recent years than earlier in his career.

Marlins Trade Grade: C

Perhaps the only reason that the Marlins could conceivably make this trade would be to take a roll of the dice on Barnes. Outside of that, I’m not sure what the point is. Yes, Miami is notoriously cheap and just recently traded Pablo Lopez to eventually avoid paying him big money. Moreover, they are expected to be at the bottom of the NL East once again. So taking on the Barnes contract is a bit odd.

At the same time, though, it’s not an abject failure. Barnes showed as recently as two years ago that he has All-Star-caliber stuff and Miami has the flexibility to see if he can recapture that and then potentially flip him for more at the MLB Trade Deadline. On the whole, though, it’s much easier to see the Red Sox line of thinking than it is with the Marlins.