This new probably spells the end of Clint Barmes' time with the Houston Astros, as the shortstop was named as a Type B free agent. That means Barmes can net the Astros a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds if he is offered salary arbitration by Houston and declines it.
↵We talked about this on the TCB Top 30 podcast Saturday night and Sean aka native_astro brought up a great point about Barmes. Because of the free agent market, Barmes might be signed quickly and before the Dec. 2 deadline to offer arbitration. Thus, the Astros wouldn't have to be afraid he'd accept said arbitration, return and blow their payroll out of the water.
↵There is a pretty good possibility that happens too, if some teams decides to lock him up as a second option to the top of the market (Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins). For a team like the Giants, Barmes makes a lot of sense.
↵For all the talk out of the Astros camp right now, it doesn't sound like they'd be willing to bring him back. GM Ed Wade is already talking about payroll considerations, which means a player who could get expensive like Barmes probably isn't in the plans. That's a shame, too, since Barmes could have done a lot to stabilize a young Astros infield.
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