Fund Evaluator:
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L (BXDLX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Short-Term Bond Over the Last Year
| 4.8% | Janus Henderson Low Dur Mlt-Sct Inc D (JUCDX) |
| 4.8% | Destinations Low Duration Fixed Inc Z (DLDZX) |
| 4.5% | Thompson Bond (THOPX) |
| 4.5% | American Century Short Dur Strat Inc Y (ASYDX) |
| 4.3% | American Century Short Dur Strt Inc Inv (ASDVX) |
Fund Details
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L Overview
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L (BXDLX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Bond fund. MassMutual launched the fund in 2021.
The investment seeks to achieve a high total rate of return primarily from current income while minimizing fluctuations in capital values by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of short-term investment grade fixed income securities. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in investment grade fixed income securities (rated Baa3 or higher by Moody's, BBB- or higher by Standard & Poor's or the equivalent by any NRSRO, or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the sub-adviser).
About MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L (BXDLX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.61 years: Charles Sanford (2020), Stephen Ehrenberg (2019), Rishi Kapur (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Aggregate 1-3 Yr TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has 269 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 67.6% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has 11.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 94.0% (82.3% domestic bond, 11.8% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has 6.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $14 million in total assets, which is below the $904 million average for the Short-Term Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
BXDLX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Short-Term Bond category. MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has an expense ratio of 0.76%, which is 15% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has a portfolio turnover rate of 47%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 135% for the Short-Term Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L returned 0.1%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Short-Term Bond category had an average return of -0.0%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L has a trailing yield of 3.99%, which is below the 4.16% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.2%, 0.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 3.4% over the past year (grade of C), 6.1% over the past three years (grade of A) and 2.0% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 2.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about MML Barings Short-Duration Bond L, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
BXDLX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BXDLX Return (NAV) | 0.1% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 6.1% | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| BXDLX Grade | A | C | C | A | D | C |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | 0.0% | -0.1% | 1.1% | -0.2% | -0.0% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | -0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| BXDLX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | 1.5% | na | na |
BXDLX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BXDLX Return (NAV) | 1.2% | 5.7% | 7.6% | 6.8% | -9.7% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 4.2% | 1.4% | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| BXDLX Grade | B | C | A | A | F | A | F | D | A | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | -0.2% | 2.7% | 1.2% | -4.6% | 1.7% | -2.2% | -0.5% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | 0.9% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 5.6% | -5.0% | -0.0% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 2.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 1.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.14 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.86 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (44% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.24 |
| R-Squared: | 71% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $123 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 15 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 47% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Ehrenberg Stephen (2019), Sanford Charles (2020), Kapur Rishi (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 269 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 67.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 11.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 82.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 11.8% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 6.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | MassMutual |
| Phone Number: | 888-309-3539 |
| Website: | www.massmutual.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 13, 2021 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 2.50% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.76% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | MML Barings Short-Duration Bond R5 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 250 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
