Colorado Rockies: Three trade targets from the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes could help the Colorado Rockies bullpen

Back in October, we made the case that if there was one Boston Red Sox player the Colorado Rockies should target, it’s Matt Barnes. However, since then a few things have changed for the Rockies. At the time, there was the chance that the Colorado Rockies would part ways with or not re-sign Daniel Bard or Jhoulys Chacín, leaving Carlos Estévez and Robert Stephenson as the only two veteran relievers in the Rockies bullpen.

However, Bard and Chacín are both staying. But the Rockies still need some help in the bullpen and Barnes could help with that.

As we said at the time, Barnes, 31, is good and durable as he has had six straight seasons with an ERA+ of 110 or better and (with the obvious exception of the shortened 2020 season) he has appeared in at least 60 games per season.

The Rockies closing situation is up in the air and he could be the closer if the Rockies wanted him to be. In 2021, he was an All-Star and had an ERA+ of 125 with 24 saves.

Barnes also has a good groundball rate (44.7 percent since 2019) which is in the top 60 for relievers with at least 100 innings pitched since then.

He signed a two-year extension in July that will cover the 2022 and 2023 seasons for $18.75 million but there is a team option for a third-year at $8 million.