Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Brewers have had some internal discussions about going after Astros shortstop Clint Barmes. I've watched throughout the season as Milwaukee-area writers have despaired of Yuniesky Betancourt's general play. Barmes is cheap, he is a free agent at the end of the season and has a 1.9 bWAR and a 1.9 fWAR. His 4.6 UZR for 2011 would be a defensive improvement over Betancourt.
↵If Barmes is the next piece that Ed Wade looks to move after Jeff Keppinger, the Arizona Diamondbacks might also be potential buyers, considering Stephen Drew is lost for this season with a broken ankle.
↵However, the situation with Barmes is slightly different than Keppingers, as the Astros had a replacement in Jose Altuve waiting in the minors. They have less obvious options at shortstop. Angel Sanchez is already in the majors, but apart from two weeks in April has yet to show he can be an everyday player, and likely never will. Jonathan Villar has struggled since being called up to AA Corpus Christi. Other options at AAA Oklahoma City in Tommy Manzella and Wladamir Sutil are less inspiring.
↵Based on the Elias reverse engineered rankings, Barmes would not bring back any compensation if offered arbitration, as he would not be ranked as a Type B free agent.