Barmes is back...so now what?

The Astros announced last week that newly-acquired shortstop Clint Barmes would start a three game rehab assignment with the AAA Oklahoma City Redhawks, followed by a possible home debut Friday against Milwaukee. While his arrival into the struggling Houston lineup has been long-anticipated, Brad Mills and Ed Wade are being faced with a difficult decision, as they will have to clear a roster spot in order to make room for Barmes. What follows is a few courses of action that the manager and GM could take, but none are perfect, so feel free to shout out your own idea.

1. Clint Barmes becomes the starting shortstop, Angel Sanchez is relegated to the utilityman role, and Joe Inglett is put on waivers.

In a perfect world, (or in this writer's perfect world), this is possibly the best situation for the Astros. Angel Sanchez is leading the team in hits, but his average has been steadily declining (.291/.330/.372), and he seems to be lost at the plate as of late. Barmes was ballyhooed as the big free agent signee for Houston over the winter (the fact that he was our biggest acquisition was rather absurd...but that's a different post), so there's really no way he's going to sit and miss any playing time once his broken hand is ready. That being said, Angel will be a nice, average player to pull off the bench if and when Barmes or second baseman Bill Hall need an off day.

In terms of Inglett getting cut, the decision would be a tough but appreciated one. Mills only likes to carry six infielders at any time, which is a good decision considering our bullpen is overworked as it is, so either Inglett or journeyman Matt Downs is going to lose out on this deal. Houston simply will not and should not move Jason Bourgeois or Jason Michaels, as both bring their respective speed and power and, in Bourgeois' case, defensive ability to the field. That being said, Inglett is the one who should be let go. Both Downs and Inglett are average to below-average defensive players, so choosing one over the other based on glove ability is just plain stupid. At the plate, Downs (.286/.333/.500) has the slight edge as he can hit for power or average if need be, and more importantly, he makes smart plate appearances. Downs works the count mercilessly, and never gets cheated on his swings. He was the hero of the final game in Cincinnati, already has one homer, and would have had another one if the foul pole in the Crawford Boxes had been a foot further to the left.

Conversely, Inglett (.111/.111/.111) is an unrepentant first-pitch swinger, something he has been all of his career, and vows to be the rest of it. While it's true he's the only left-handed bat off the bench, this doesn't matter all that much, as Mills and Wade should be focusing more on which players will help the team succeed rather than what side of the plate they hit from. A snapshot from the Astros/Cubs game on April 11th helps to illustrate just exactly how Inglett affects the team: Ryan Dempster finally seemed to be tiring, and the Astros had caught up to him and put a few runs on the board, trailing only 5-4. Dempster then walked two straight batters on a minimal number of pitches to juice the bases with two outs. Joe Inglett strode to the plate...and grounded out to second on the first pitch he saw.

See what I mean? A pitcher who is known to get wild at times walks TWO straight hitters and Inglett swings on the first pitch. That's the kind of stuff that kills rallies, winning streaks, and morale.

2. Clint Barmes becomes the starting shortstop, Angel Sanchez is relegated to the utilityman role, and Matt Downs is placed on waivers.

This is my cold-blooded prediction of what will happen. While Downs was a nice pickup on the cheap over the winter, Inglett was a more hyped acquisition, and because of his oh-so-important left-handed bat, along with the alleged claim that he can play some outfield will probably spell doom for Downs. Someone will refer to the fact that Inglett lead the majors in pinch-hits last year, and that will inexplicably push him over the edge as the last survivor.

3. It doesn't matter who is cut, because when Jeff Keppinger comes back, both Downs and Inglett will be gone.

Again, what I think ultimately will happen. The Astros like Kepp, and Kepp likes the Astros, as he seemed almost willing to cede his starting second baseman job to Bill Hall with nary a complaint. He seems to genuinely like playing in Houston, and because of his veteran leadership and the fact that he led the team in BA for a long stretch of last season will see that he's sitting in the dugout at the Juicebox whenever he's healthy again. Essentially, it's a matter of time before both Downs and Inglett are shooed away, and with good reason, as Sanchez and Keppinger are a better duo off the bench, hands down.

The real question is, why are all these guys on the team and fighting for roster spots? Don't take this as a rant, but it seems that Wade and cash-strapped owner Drayton McLane have been preaching the gospel of "rebuilding" and "young talent infusion" for a solid calendar year now. Lo and behold, in the offseason they sign the 31-year-old Hall and the 32-year-old Barmes. Keppinger is 31, Downs is 27 and Inglett is 32. I'm sorry, but with the exception of Downs, none of those numbers look like young ballplayers to me. It's maddening to think that the Astros keep claiming "young overhaul!" and then sign those age of players. And choose Nelson Figueroa over Jordan Lyles for the #5 spot in the rotation. And choose to play the aging Jason Michaels in left field and the unspeakable Carlos Lee at first base against lefties and let hot-hitting Brett Wallace ride the pine. If there's going to be a young talent overhaul, then let it be a YOUNG talent overhaul. This is just starting to look like the Astros of old, reminiscent of Preston Wilson signings and Pedro Feliz experiments.

But that's another rant.