Following a season in which he was the National League co-leader in home runs and almost two months after general manager David Stearns said he anticipated Chris Carter being the Brewers’ starting first baseman next year, the team decided not to tender a contract to the veteran power hitter, instead designating him for assignment. Carter will become a free agent, and Milwaukee will have a new face at first base in 2017 – almost assuredly that of newly signed Eric Thames, who spent the past three years playing in Korea and was introduced Tuesday.

Intriguing developments, indeed, and perhaps even unexpected – though not necessarily surprising. So, what happened, why and who’s the new guy?

The Brewers signed the free-swinging Carter to a one-year, $2.5 million deal before the start of 2016, a sort of prove-yourself contract for the player who’d averaged 30 homers and 111 strikeouts over the previous three seasons. Playing a team-high 160 games and getting a career-high 549 at-bats, Carter certainly proved himself – as exactly the player Milwaukee knew he was, only more so with the increased opportunities.

Carter mashed 41 home runs, tying Colorado’s Nolan Arenado for the most in the NL, and was 10th with 76 walks, but he also led the league with 206 strikeouts. A much-needed big bat in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup, Carter was the ultimate three-true-outcomes type of player (walk, strikeout, home run).

Still, with power in short supply across MLB, and after setting career-highs in RBI (94), runs (84) and hits (122) last season, the arbitration-eligible Carter was going to be in line for a huge raise in salary, likely to around $9 or $10 million. The Brewers simply didn't want – or need – to pay that much for an almost 30-year-old who hit a paltry .222 and isn’t really part of their future.

Milwaukee is in the midst of a full-scale organizational rebuild, one it's been public about since hiring Stearns in 2015. Over the past year, the team has been transparent and comprehensive, with Stearns pragmatically trading away veterans for young, controllable talent, signing stopgaps like Carter to fill remaining positions and emphasizing the development of the franchise’s highly touted prospects in its now top-ranked farm system.

The Brewers easily could have afforded Carter, even at a much higher price, but they didn’t have to. Even an unexpectedly encouraging 2016 season, when they went 73-89 and had a 17-13 record over the final 30 games, doesn’t change the rational, methodical and constructive process Stearns has laid out. The young general manager has frequently stressed that there are no set timetables for Milwaukee’s return to contention, though clearly 2017 is too soon. Carter’s contributions simply don’t merit his contract; the production isn’t worth the price tag.

The only significant financial commitment the Brewers have for next season is to outfielder Ryan Braun, who still has four years and $76 million left on the extension he signed in 2011. And they may not even have that on the books, since the small-market club could trade Braun in the offseason.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s void at first base didn’t last long, as Stearns announced Tuesday that the Brewers had signed Thames to a three-year contract with a club option for 2020. 

Reportedly, the deal guarantees the 30-year-old a total of at least $16 million – $4 million in 2017, $5 million in ‘18 and $6 million in '19. It includes a $7.5 million club option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout, and he can also earn an additional $500,000 per year in incentives.

So Thames will make in his first two years the low end of what Carter is expected to get in arbitration for next season, creating potentially better value and lower risk for a question-mark player with moderate upside.

The free-agent first baseman/outfielder spent the last three seasons playing for the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization, where he hit .348 with 124 home runs, 379 RBI and 64 stolen bases in 388 games. In 2015, Thames was named the KBO’s Most Valuable Player, producing the first 40/40 season in league history and winning the batting title with a .381 average, 47 home runs, 140 RBI and 40 stolen bases. Last year, he batted .317 with 40 homers, 118 RBI and 13 steals; he has a career 1.171 OPS in Korea.

"I'm excited to add a left-handed hitter," manager Craig Counsell said at a press conference at Miller Park. "At times, there were games and segments of the season where we struggled without a left-handed presence. I'm excited to add someone like Eric.

"His journey thus far is inspiring. You always respect and admire someone who has gone through a journey like this and ended up in a place like this and a day like this. You also respect and understand that someone like him is going to feel like he has more to do, and that his journey is not finished. That sets him up to have success here, and I'm excited he has chosen this as the place to continue his journey."

Originally a seventh-round selection of the Blue Jays in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Thames (pronounced thaymz) hit .250 with 21 homers and 62 RBI in 181 MLB games with Toronto and Seattle.

The Santa Clara native who attended Pepperdine University in California hasn’t played in the United States since 2013, when he was cut by Houston, where Stearns was then working in the Astros’ front office. The general manager said Thames’ left-handed power bat would be a good fit for the Brewers’ lineup and he liked his positional versatility – being able to play first base and both corner outfield spots.

"As we talked about a lot, we're building something here where we want to establish a core of players that is going to lead us to a competitive team and a team that reaches the playoffs," Stearns said Tuesday. "As we evaluated the market this year and the areas where we can add players to help us accomplish that, we noted that Eric could be one of those players."

Thames said he was "honored" to be in Milwaukee, noting that he played in La Crosse, Wis., in 2007 and "the people are very nice, very hospitable." He added that he was eager to get to work.

"Last year, two years, three years ago, I had no idea what the future had in store for me and I'm very fortunate that David and the Brewers' organization looked at me with hope and believe in me and believe in my talent set," Thames said. "The biggest thing is just getting the reps in. I know guys are nastier now. It's crazy being gone, all these rookies here, I never [faced them before]. I have a lot of studying to do."