The Milwaukee Brewers appear ready to move on from Chris Carter. The power-hitting Carter hit 41 home runs this past season.
For several years now, Chris Carter has been an excellent source of old school right-handed power. In 2016, Carter hit 41 long balls for the Milwaukee Brewers, which tied Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies for the NL lead.
In a rather surprising move, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Brewers have decided to non-tender Carter. The 29-year-old Carter was also non-tendered by the Houston Astros last offseason.
Chris Carter becomes one of finest power-hitters on market after #Brewers decide to non-tender him instead of paying likely $9-$10M in arbit
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 29, 2016
When considering what Nightengale reports Carter would likely make in arbitration, cutting ties with him does make sense on one hand. Furthermore, there are obvious flaws in Carter’s game.
Carter has twice struck out over 200 times in a season, and he leads MLB with a 33.2 percent K rate since 2013. He has only a .314 lifetime on-base percentage to go along with his .218 career batting average. Carter is not known for being a Gold Glove defender at first base either.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
While he can hit home runs with the best of them, Carter isn’t necessarily the most well-rounded player. He was worth only 0.9 fWAR last year.
That being said, Carter still gave the Brewers excellent production from the first base position. When Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers after the 2011 season, the Brewers struggled to fill the void at first base. Finally, Adam Lind came in and did a great job last season, and Carter put on his power display this past year.
It was later confirmed by the Brewers that Carter had been designated for assignment. It was also reported that Eric Thames had been signed to a three-year deal. Thames will be returning to MLB after a very successful stint in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).
Free agent 1B/OF Eric Thames has signed a 3-year contract w/a club option for 2020. 1B Chris Carter designated for assignment.
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) November 29, 2016
Chris Carter, informed Monday he would be non-tendered, now is officially designated for assignment by #Brewers to make room for Eric Thames
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 29, 2016
According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers will still look to find a trade partner for Carter prior to the non-tender deadline.
The Brewers open a 40-man spot with a DFA of Carter. They will try to trade him before Friday's nontender deadline. https://t.co/WJ28lBBE9i
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) November 29, 2016
Next: Rockies Ready to Move CarGo?
Carter could potentially join players such as Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo, Mike Napoli and Carlos Beltran in an impressive crop of free agent hitters. He could be an interesting and more affordable target for teams that are looking to add offense.