See the 2017 MLB Free Agent Tracker for the all the player movement updates.

Chris Carter is a flawed hitter, no doubt there (he led the NL with 206 strikeouts and hit just .222), but he also is coming off a season in which he hit a career best 41 homers, tied for the NL lead, while driving in a career best 94 runs, 13th best in the Senior Circuit. Due roughly $9-10 million in arbitration, the Brewers determined that he was simply too expensive so he has been non-tendered (following this move he was designated for assignment meaning they Brewers have until Friday to find a trading partner or they will lose him for nothing). This decision is extremely odd given that the only two players due any substantial money with the Brewers in 2017 are Matt Garza ($12.5 million) and Ryan Braun ($19 million), and rumors continue to be floated that Braun will be dealt. Moving on from a reasonably priced player, who has hit 131 homers the last four years (6th most in baseball), and one who had a .821 OPS in 2016 which was better than Starling Marte, Bryce Harper, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Buster Posey, is shocking.

Who will play first base for the Brewers in 2017? A guy who failed in the big leagues only to resurrect his career playing in Korea.

Eric Thames signed a deal with the Brewers valued at $16 million (it’s a 3-year deal with a club option that could increase the payout). His deal also stipulates that Thames has all the power as he cannot be sent to the minors unless he approves. This is no Mike Trout, yet there it is.

A 30 year old lefty swinger, Thames last appeared in the bigs in 2012 and in two professional seasons he hit .250 with 21 homers and 62 RBI, with 85 runs scored over 181 games. Those numbers are classic third outfielder numbers. Thames moved on to Korea and hit .348 with a .450 OBP and .720 SLG over 388 games bursting into stardom the past three seasons. He is also coming off a season in which he went .381-47-140 in a truly epic effort for NC Dinos which lead to him being named the Most Valuable Player in the league.

However, there is a huge problem here. The KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) is roughly akin to Triple-A in the States so it is unfair and certainly not wise, to expect any player to transition their production in Korea to the majors. It just doesn’t happen. Some recent examples that should cause the Brewers concern from C.J. Nitkowski, who listed a series of players homer totals in their final season in the KBO and what they did in their first year in the major leagues.

Jung Ho Kang fell from 40 homers in the KBO to 15 in MLB.

Byung-ho Park went from 53 to 12.

Hyun Soo Kim went from 28 to six.

Dae Ho Lee hit 27 homers in his last season in the KBP (2011), 31 in his last season in the Japan Pacific League (2015), and hit just 14 homers with the Mariners in 2016.

Thames hit 40 last year which would seem to suggest, if he follows the path of the others, that he will struggle to reach 15 homers in 2017 with the Brewers.

Don’t be swayed by the massive numbers of Thames across the ocean, odds are Thames will struggle to be a viable starter all season long in mixed leagues.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).