According to MLBTradeRumors, the Astros have just traded starter Felipe Paulino in exchange for middle infielder Clint Barmes.
Right off the bat, this deal strikes me as brilliant on the Rockies' part. Barmes is set to bring in about $4MM, which is more than he deserves given his slash line of .235/.305/.351 for the 2010 season. His defense is certainly good, and his power is decent for a middle infielder, but the fact that he has career .254 batting average and an unimpressive walk rate of 5.0%, I have to assume that this is a bad move by the Astros -- unless of course Barmes replicates his 2008 breakout season.
It's easy to look at Felipe Paulino's 2010 stats and not be impressed -- a 5.11 ERA on the year to go along with a 4.52 BB/9. However, he has astonishing potential. His fastball consistently exceeds 95 mph, contributing greatly to his impressive 8.15 K/9. His high BABIP of .341 and his extremely low left-on-base percentage of 58.5% lead me to believe that he's much better than his 5.11 ERA says.
If he can remain healthy, he'll be a solid starter in the back-end of that Rockies rotation. Barring another breakout from Clint Barmes, I have to say the Rockies are the winners of this deal.
