I don't hate Clint Barmes; I actually like his glove and I'm assuming that Hurdle thinks he can repeat the type of offensive success he saw in Colorado. The money seems a little steep to me, but not insane with what FA's have gotten already this year (Carroll, Ellis). Looking through the modern baseball-as-business lens, anchored by an endless stream of numbers, I can talk myself into middling signings like this or Barajas.

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I understand the concept of financial flexibility and holding onto your money until you're ready to compete, but why not spend the extra $11-$15 million and get Jose Reyes? A six-year deal seems like forever and very few players retain their value late in long-term deals like that. He's got an injury history. There's an bottomless pit of arguments against it.

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Signing Reyes would give Pittsburgh the most exciting 1-2 lineup punch in the league. With some luck from the rotation, there's no reason that this team couldn't win 85-90 games and stay competitive in an NL Central that has the Cards losing LaRussa (and possibly Pujols), the Brewers likely losing Fielder, the Reds constantly underachieving, the Cubs possibly adding pieces but still the Cubs, and the already-terrible Astros dumping their two best bats. Last summer showed again that Pittsburgh will support the Pirates when they're winning.

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If USA Today is right, Reyes is anticipated to sign something like 6 years/$95 million in Miami. Let's beat that by $1 million annually and round it off to 6 years/$102 million. That's $17 million annually, which would still keep the payroll under $60 million for the season. It wouldn't make them favorites to win the NL Central, but it would create some kind of buzz about a team that's been all but dead for all intents and purposes for 20 years. It would give the Pirates a recognizable face to promote alongside McCutchen.

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There's value in guys like Barmes, but it's much more evident when you have guys like Reyes playing alongside them. The biggest drawback (besides the unpredictable health and performance) is that he spurns Pittsburgh's offer, showing the world that it's not a free agent destination. Maybe I'm just tired of following a loser of a sports franchise and this is my way of coping, but it doesn't sound so crazy to me.

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Baes