Clint Barmes has signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Source: #Padres in agreement with IF Clint Barmes on one-year deal with club option. Pending physical.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 3, 2014
The writing was on the wall this off-season that Barmes wouldn’t be returning to the Pirates. They had been acquiring a lot of infield depth options, including a few players who can play shortstop. It appears that they will go with someone who is making the league minimum to replace Barmes. I don’t know if that’s the reason they’re moving away from Barmes. They’ve added two interesting options to be a strong defensive shortstop, with Pedro Florimon coming on a waiver claim, and Gustavo Nunez signed as a minor league free agent.
Jordy Mercer is the starter, and has improved his defense over the last year. The Pirates will still need at least one strong defensive shortstop in the system, and possibly more, if Mercer goes down, to avoid another Michael Martinez situation from last year.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Clint Barmes as far as shortstops go was one of the slowest I’ve seen. But yet Stat geeks talk about what great range he had. Just tells me these defensive metrics leave a whole lot to be desired. He may have been a nice guy & Great teammate I for one just became a very happy Bucco’s fan. Now if they just get rid of the idiot fans that think people go to the games to hear them WOO. I may go back to buying season tickets. Complete ASSHOLES!!!!
Actually I think it started 30 or so years ago down in the Carolina area because of that fake wrestler Rick Flair
I agree about the WOOing. That is totally annoying.
Is the woooooing a Pgh thing? Commenters on the pens blog complain about it too. When I lived there I never heard it, but I think it’s a rather new phenomenon. Do other fans do it too????
It is done other places. I believe its origin is from European soccer.
I think Florimon will win the backup job. He is a very good defensive SS. He was horrendous at the plate last year and not very good before that but he has a little pop and will take a pitch so if they could somehow lower his strikeout rate a little and make him a .230-.240 hitter he will be a Clint Barmes with speed. Florimon has a .717 OPS at Rochester last year for what it’s worth.
CB made too much money to be a PBC backup, plus didn’t hit consistently. Likely, won’t be missed.
We now have plenty of “below the Mendoza line” utility infielders to replace him.
Yeah, but Barmes was exceptional defensively. Over the last three seasons, he was 6th in mlb for shortstops in defensive runs saved and 2nd only to Andrelton Simmons in range factor. That’s not that easily replaceable.
Couldn’t keep him at last last year’s salary.
+/- 2 million? Just curious.
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Me too.. Interested to see if he got the same rate , or if he took a pay cut.
Found it on the San Diego site
1.3 million the first year.
1 million team option for 2nd year,
but Barmes gets a guaranteed $200,000
in the 2nd year whether he plays or not.
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We got the best of what he had left.. Just couldn’t get right w giving him that deal. Happy for him tho
Best of luck Clint! Thanks for the memories, don’t stop believing!!!
Barmes was useful in his role on the Pirates, but also highly replaceable. Best of luck to him.