The Red Sox have officially announced their trade that sends right-hander Matt Barnes to the Marlins and sees lefty Richard Bleier come to Boston. To make room on the roster for Bleier, right-hander Franklin German was designated for assignment. Barnes was already off the roster since he was designated for assignment last week.
German, 25, was a Yankee farmhand that came to the Sox in the Adam Ottavino trade in 2021. He had primarily been a starter in the minors but he was used exclusively in relief in 2022. The move seemed to suit him well, as he posted a 2.72 ERA over 49 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. His 9.6% walk rate was a tad high but he paired that with a 32.5% strikeout rate. That showing was impressive enough to get him to the majors, though he was lit up for eight earned runs in his first four innings.
The Red Sox will now have a week to trade German or pass him through waivers. Though his first taste of the majors didn’t go well in terms of results, he did average 97.7 mph on his fastball. He could intrigue other clubs with his youth, excellent performance in the minors last year and full slate of options. He has just a few days of MLB service time thus far and can be affordably retained for the foreseeable future.