Brewers sign Eric Thames (3 years)

[jerichoholicninja]

I guess there's your first basemen. Very surprised.

[Lee16]

Might be the first Stearns move that I really don't see the point of. Oh well, he's better at this than I am, hope it works out.

[patrickgpe]

can't wait to see what the dollar value is on this one.

[mlloyd10]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18066579/a-sensation-korea-eric-thames-make-back-mlb

[mlloyd10]

Considering he was making 1.5 mil last season - Im thinking 3/12

[jerichoholicninja]

Now does Stearns continue making an infield of Asian imports and sign Hwang as well?

[MillerParkSouth]

Congrats Briggs!

 

I'm really curious to see the financials on this and the explanation of why we needed to go 3 years. I know the upper minors are pretty barren at 1B, but this seems excessive.

[JohnBriggs12]

Love this move as I had started the Thames thread.

 

He's a LH hitter with pop, something Brewers desperately needed. If you believe the Brewers have a chance to step up as soon as 2018, this kind of move makes a ton of sense. Somewhat of a risk but one worth taking. If he's a semblance of the player he was in Korea, they have added a solid all around bat that will take walks and not strike out 200 times. I assume he can play 1B? If so, he's not blocking any prospects. Certainly explains the non-tender decision on Carter.

 

I can see .275/.350/.475 type of a line, with 25-30 HR.

[patrickgpe]

Considering he was making 1.5 mil last season - Im thinking 3/12

 

the article linked above suggested 3 / 15-18

[djoctagone]

thames was optioned in 2012 and in 2013. he was also optioned in 2011, but was only optioned for 20 days that year (4 june - 23 june). it would appear that he has one minor league option remaining.

[JDBrewCrew]

Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick 2m2 minutes ago

Eric Thames' three-year deal with the #Brewers is worth more than $15M guaranteed, source says.

 

Adam McCalvy Retweeted Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers open a 40-man spot with a DFA of Carter. They will try to trade him before Friday's nontender deadline.

 

Adam McCalvy ‏@AdamMcCalvy 13m13 minutes ago

Thames' contract with the Brewers includes an option for a fourth year. He is a LHH, something the RHH-heavy Brewers were seeking

 

Adam McCalvy ‏@AdamMcCalvy 16m16 minutes ago

Brewers' gamble on Eric Thames is a fascinating one. All of their scouting was done via video of his games in Korea.

 

Adam McCalvy ‏@AdamMcCalvy 3m3 minutes ago

Big question is whether Thames can bring his KBO success to MLB. Pirates' Jung Ho Kang has said biggest adjustment is pitchers' velo.

 

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 3m3 minutes ago

#Brewers are having 10 am presser at Miller Park to introduce Eric Thames to local media

 

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 30s31 seconds ago

Stearns on Thames: "His ability to play first base along with both corner outfield positions adds versatility to the roster."

 

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 18s19 seconds ago

More Stearns on Thames: "Eric has been extremely impressive over three seasons in Korea. We look forward to his return to Major Leagues."

[davego]

Did he play for the #4077 or the #8063?

[JohnBriggs12]

Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick 2m2 minutes ago

Eric Thames' three-year deal with the #Brewers is worth more than $15M guaranteed, source says.

 

That's less than they would have had to pay Carter to stick around 2 more seasons. If he's more than a 1 WAR per year guy, that's a good investment. He's still in his prime.

[JDBrewCrew]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 14s15 seconds ago

Scouting word on Thames: Good guy, good teammate, hard worker, in great shape at 30. Lots of MLB teams were showing interest.

 

Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick 27s28 seconds ago

#Brewers GM David Stearns was in Houston in 2013 when #Astros claimed Thames off waivers. Thames signed to play in Korea soon after that.

[brewerfan82]

Nice gamble for a rebuilding team with no other options. I guess Stearns is putting alot of stock in his KBO numbers and sees more upside possibility in him than Carter. Also nice to get the lefty stick.

 

KBO numbers the past 3 years:

 

[pre]Year Age G PA AB R HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS

2014 27 125 514 443 95 37 121 11 2 58 99 .343 .422 .688 1.111

2015 28 142 595 472 130 47 140 40 8 103 91 .381 .497 .790 1.288

2016 29 121 525 432 117 40 118 13 4 74 103 .317 .425 .676 1.101[/pre]

[JDBrewCrew]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 1m1 minute ago

Will be very interesting to see if #Brewers can pull off trade for Carter after being DFA’d. Interested teams can wait for him to be FA.

[patrickgpe]

3 years 15 million+ guaranteed

[JDBrewCrew]

Also plays OF. Just saying they're increasing flexibility to trade Braun as well.

[jerichoholicninja]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 1m1 minute ago

Will be very interesting to see if #Brewers can pull off trade for Carter after being DFA’d. Interested teams can wait for him to be FA.

 

.263/.327/.468 - 108 OPS+ - 30 HR/93 RBI

.222/.321/.499 - 114 OPS+ - 41 HR/94 RBI

 

One of these players just signed a multi-year free agent deal with a playoff team. The other is Chris Carter. I understand he is one dimensional but teams pay for what he does best.

[reillymcshane]

The Thames deal is interesting.

 

$15M is nothing to sneeze at, but it's not a huge investment.

 

You could take $15-20M and sign Chris Carter for two years. You'll know exactly what you are getting. The upside is limited, however.

 

Thus, I like the rolling of the dice with Thames. If he pans out, it's a great move, the team gets a good player at a reasonable price for several years. If not - well, now is the time to have such failures.

[reillymcshane]

Also plays OF. Just saying they're increasing flexibility to trade Braun as well.

I was curious about this as well. Is he a 1B? He's never played there according to his Baseball Reference page. Perhaps he's destined for LF - assuming Braun is dealt.

[JDBrewCrew]

He's played there the last three years in Korea.

[JohnBriggs12]

Can't minimize the value of sticking a LH power bat into the middle of this heavy RH hitting lineup. His ability to play OF as well could put Nieuwenhuis' job in jeopardy.

 

There's definite upside here, and like reillymcshane points out, if he's a complete bust, it's not that huge of an investment at a time when they are still building.

 

It probably lessens (but doesn't eliminate) the chance Brewers will go out and sign Valbuena so if they trade Gennett, Perez would be in line to play 3B, or if they keep Gennett, Villar will start the year there.

[reillymcshane]

He's played there the last three years in Korea.

gotcha. thanks.

 

I looked at his stats and didn't realize they just didn't post where he played in the KBO.

[Jose Cardenal1]

The Brewers may be able to pull off a trade for Carter. While teams could just wait and sign him in FA, they may find it a better alternative to trade for him and offer arbitration. I could see the Brewers getting a bullpen prospect for Carter.