FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes, one of the many early arrivals to JetBlue Park — about a week ahead of the official opening of Red Sox spring camp — says he hasn’t been told anything about the closer role and replacing Craig Kimbrel, who is an unsigned free agent. But if he is the anointed replacement, he seems ready to take that next step.
The Red Sox are selling it as a combination of Barnes and Ryan Brasier handling the late-inning roles. So far, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has not engaged in talks with Kimbrel and has seen several free agent relievers with closer experience go to other teams, holding firm that he will not spend a lot to obtain a closer, given Boston’s supersized payroll.