Matt Barnes’ stellar 2021 season is being rewarded with more than just an All-Star nod.
Barnes and the Red Sox are nearing a two-year contract extension with a club option for a third season. The salary details have yet to be reported. Barnes is currently on a one-year, $4.5 million deal which he signed last December.
The 31-year-old right-hander has a career-best 2.68 ERA and 19 saves in his first full season as the Red Sox closer. Barnes also has a career-high strikeout rate of 44.6 percent and a career-low walk rate of 7.2 percent.
Barnes was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career, making him one of five Red Sox players on the American League roster.