10:44am: The Nationals announced that Barnes has rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
May 9, 10:17am: Barnes cleared outright waivers and has been assigned outright to the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, if he chooses.
May 7: The Nationals announced Tuesday they’ve designated right-hander Matt Barnes for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to lefty Robert Garcia, who’s been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. The Nats’ 40-man roster is now at 39 players.
Barnes, 33, inked a minor league deal with Washington in the early portion of Spring Training. He made the Opening Day roster after throwing five scoreless innings in camp. The veteran reliever hasn’t carried that success into the regular season. Barnes has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 13 1/3 frames while working in low-leverage situations. His 8% swinging strike rate is well below both the league average and his career 12.3% mark.
It’s the second straight season in which Barnes has struggled to miss bats. He managed whiffs on a career-low 7.8% of his offerings en route to a 5.48 ERA in 21 1/3 innings with the Marlins last year. That season was cut short before the All-Star Break by a left hip injury that required surgery. Barnes’ velocity has yet to return to pre-surgery levels. His 91.4 MPH average fastball speed and 81.5 MPH curveball velocity are each down two ticks from where they sat in 2023.
Barnes was averaging around 95-96 MPH on his heater and in the mid-80s with his breaking ball during his best seasons with the Red Sox. That included four seasons of sub-4.00 ERA ball over a five-year stretch from 2017-21. Barnes routinely punched out more than 30% of opposing hitters during that run and held the closer role in Boston in 2021. He earned an All-Star nod that season and secured a two-year, $18.75MM extension that July.
A shoulder injury in 2022 and the aforementioned hip issue have prevented Barnes from recapturing that form in the two-plus years since then. The Nats will technically have five days to trade him, but it’s likelier he’ll be released. Barnes locked in a $2MM base salary when he made the Washington roster. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the Nationals will be responsible for the bulk of that contract. Another team that subsequently signs him would owe the prorated portion of the $740K minimum for any time he spends on their MLB roster.
At his peak he was the best closer of all time
He clowned until he didn’t
Too bad his peak was only for 3 months.
Misty—That’s sarcasm, right?
Depends on the time frame. His peak may have been one game.
Sue – Why is everyone bagging on him? He was a very good setup guy for many years, whenever you needed a reliever to come in and get a strikeout he was the perfect guy to do it.
Nobody thinks “closer” when Matt Barnes is mentioned.
Barnes would be like the 2nd best reliever in the Cubs bullpen right now.
This’ll clear up the confusion in the bullpen between him and Jacob Barnes, who is doing quite well.
Yes! It’s been infuriating as the scoreboard just lists both of them as Barnes rather than M. Barnes or J. Barnes. It would have been nice to know which right handed Barnes was actually coming in the game. (No I don’t have everyone’s number memorized.)
You have to go by their jersey number in that case.
There were two different pitchers named Mike Anthony Smith with the Orioles at the same time around 1989 or 1990. One was called Mike Texas Smith and the other Mike Mississippi Smith. Now, that was confusing.
Oh, Susannah…
I remember those guys, it was interesting they had the same exact name.
I worked in a place with four guys named John once. Everybody from outside thought we were mad at one of them, because when we talked to them, we used both names!
Reds – Four Johns in the same place?
Sounds like a bordello.
They were in Orioles farm system together but only Texas Smith made it to Orioles the other had previously played with Reds then Pittsburgh thereafter
Robert Garcia is also mid.
Ah, but he’s less mid than Barnes, and his left handedness makes him even less mid, so maybe he’s good?
If you consider a 6.48 ERA good, then absolutely.
Hey he sat down the Os big boppers tonight in order. Some say he’s the Californian Aroldis Chapman
Maybe so, but then he’s a mid-LHP in an otherwise all-RHP bullpen.
(In Jim Carrey voice) allll righties then!
So who had Brais lasting longer than all star Barney in mlb?? To bad hope Dodgers sign him and trade us back our savior!!! Could you imagine what AB could do with him!!!!
Barnes was as solid as they come in the 8th inning, then someone got the idea he could close and it’s been downhill since. Might a chance elsewhere but looks like the end of the road is coming quickly
Rsox – As is always the case, it came down to money. Bloom let Kimbrel walk after 2018, so they made Workman the primary closer until he was traded midway through 2020. Then they figured move Barnes into the role.
It’s kinda weird how he was so dominant in 2021 until he got Covid and chopped off part of his thumb, he’s never been the same since.
Barnes’ struggles seem to be with the mental aspects of baseball – he’s got the physical attributes & talent.
Whatever happens over the remainder of this season, the Nationals were not a losing team during Barnes’ time with them.
If you want to be pedantic, then no, you’re wrong. Barnes was designated for assignment on May 7 when the team’s record was 17-17. They went on to win that night to move to 18-17, and fell back to .500 last night before Barnes was outrighted to AAA and refused the assignment.
Ha. At the end of the season, almost definitely. But not right now grandpa.
Your mantra?
If any of us actually care how we look – posting to a handful of baseball nerds under an anonymous screen name – we best find another hobby.
I know a fairly recent Cy Young winner with a 1.96 ERA in Mexico so far this year who they can sign right now for the league minimum…
Welcome to the Braves .
I’d rather have Barnes over Drew “Homer” Smith. I don’t want Drew Smith anywhere near this team. Same goes with Sean Reid Foley, Cole Sulser, and Josh Walker. There are guys out there that are better than this collection of garbage. Don’t understand why the Mets just sit back and do nothing about it. Hopefully they finally come to their senses about Bauer. I said before the season that Houser was not a major league pitcher. Butto shouldn’t be in the majors either. I’m also getting tired of Quintana and his act. Hes essentially a slightly better version of Carlos Carrasco. I don’t want him on this team, hes too old and honestly hes just no good. Bauer is a better option then all of these guys. My rotation would be (once Senga is healthy), Senga, Manaea, Bauer, Severino, and Scott. Thats a solid 1 through 5 that puts their rotation right in the middle of the pack
He is so very close to 10 year service time, so am sure he will latch onto to some team and get to that 10 year mark. IF he struggles he should find a way to get on injured list to get more “service time”