Clint Barmes Is Mr. Popular
Clint Barmes might be the new “Most Interesting Man in the World.” According to many analysts at the GM Meetings, Barmes’ agent was out in full force Wednesday. Perhaps surprisingly, Barmes is drawing a lot of interest from multiple teams. While Barmes isn’t the sexiest name on the shortstop market, he might actually be one of the better bargains at the position this off-season.
In Dave Cameron’s Top 50 Free Agents post, Barmes ranked 29 overall — which put him in the Good Role Players tier. That seems fair, as Barmes has been a decent player over the last couple of seasons, but has flaws that prevent him from being anything more. On this market, however, Barmes looks like the fourth best shortstop. All of the shortstops rated ahead of Barmes have their own issues, though, and Barmes might actually be a safe, low-cost option at the position.
Barmes’ main selling point is his defensive prowess at short. Over his career, Barmes has posted 20.8 UZR at short — higher than both Rafael Furcal and Jose Reyes. While Jimmy Rollins has been a solid defender over his career, he’s getting older and more injury prone — and that could affect his defense going forward. Barmes’ ability to play multiple positions effectively makes him an attractive option in this market.
The main problem with Barmes — outside of the fact that he lacks the history and name recognition of the shortstops ahead of him — is that he lacks their offensive upside. Barmes hasn’t hit above .245 over the last three seasons, and has struggled to keep his OBP over .300 during that time. Outside of 2009 — when he hit 23 home runs for Colorado — Barmes isn’t going to contribute much in the slugging department either. Barmes’ 2012 Bill James projection reflects those struggles, as Barmes is expected to post an identical slash line next season.
Still, there’s value in having a versatile middle infielder who can handle multiple defensive positions well. If the Jamey Carroll deal is any indication, the market seems to agree. Despite his advanced age, Carroll received a two-year deal from the Minnesota Twins worth roughly $6.5 million. While Barmes won’t hit nearly as well as Carroll — he is six years younger — and could receive a similar deal.
Though the other shortstops on the market have higher upside than Barmes, he might be the safest option on the market. Reyes is going to cost a ton of money, and has struggled with leg injuries the past couple of seasons. Furcal has similar injury issues, and Rollins is two seasons removed from a sub .300 OBP. At least a team knows what they are getting in Barmes.
While it might not be a sexy skill set, it’s certainly useful at the right price. Instead of spending boatloads of money hoping Reyes stays healthy — or Furcal and Rollins return to form — signing Barmes at a lower price might be the play for some teams. It might even be the right decision.
Chris is a blogger for CBSSports.com. He has also contributed to Sports on Earth, the 2013 Hard Ball Times Baseball Annual, ESPN, FanGraphs and RotoGraphs. He tries to be funny on twitter @Chris_Cwik.
I was hoping the Phillies would consider him as a replacement for Rollins, stopgap for Galvis. Seems like he’ll have some offers to sift through, though….
The first line calls him the new “Most interesting man in the world.” Every other line of this piece then calls him a mediocre player that will make mediocre money. I don’t see whats so interestng about that.
But he’ll practically have his PICK of mediocre contracts.
Signs & rumblings indicating the Giants will be hot and heavy for him. Sabean will likely overpay for his services, but he adds tremendous value to a middle infield that needs insurance and a platoon at SS and insurance at 2B.
How does 2/10 sound ?
2/10 sounds light by a couple million. Sabean always identifies who he wants and then goes and gets it done. I agree completely with you about value. Freddy Sanchez will play 110 if the Giants are lucky.
as a Giants fan id be stoked to see Barmes in the black and orange.
I mean a SS who can actually field, and still bat over .200?
didnt think i’d see the day.
or maybe a season’s worth of Tejada + OCab’s lead gloves, and Crawfords limp bat has me a little delusional
After watching Barmes last season, I definitely think his defense is excellent at shortstop. His defense reminds me of what I used to see from Adam Everett in his better days. There are some rumors about teams looking at Barmes for second base, and I think that would be a waste to put him at that position. His offense would be disappointing for a second baseman, and the position wouldn’t allow him to use his defensive skill fully.
Barmes’ offense is not impressive at all. He will be at the bottom of most teams’ batting order. The only consolation is that he will hit the occasional HR. When they traded for Barmes, I think the Astros thought that he might hit 15 or more HRs, because he profiles as a guy who can take advantage of a short LF porch. But he fell short of that number, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his HR power is diminishing as he ages.
The only knock that I would make on his defense is that he tends to make a lot of off-balance, wrong-footed throws unnecessarily against batters who don’t have the speed to warrant such a risky maneuver. He’d be an even better defensive shortstop if he dedicated more time to scouting batters.
Agree with article and especially CJ’s comment. I watched Barmes a lot as a Rockies fan and unless he has changed much I’m very much in tune with what he offers. He was always under appreciated nationally as many players are that play in an isolated market like Colorado and especially ones where there defense is what provides the value. The guy plays better defense at SS then all but about a half dozen regulars and that isn’t his best position(2b). Even though his glove is better at 2b, he will provide more value playing SS but he is a best fit for a team that wants the flexibility to play him at either. He isn’t very good at 3b but could be used occassionally there as well. Colorado was right to move him because they are one of the few teams that clearly have a better SS and they have the type lineup that requires a lot of offense from their 2b, something Barmes was never going to provide(and something Colorado is still looking for). He is worth $6-8M a year IMO.
2/12 it is then. Hey, the Giants just got done paying Mark DeRosa 2/12. Barmes will actually contribute.
Sorry, Scout, the Giants’ Barmes money went for left-handed relievers–a real need as they only have 3 or 4 of those.
Hey Chris–you should swing by the League of Excellence, you know, the league where you’re the commish, just to let people know you’re alive.