Milwaukee Brewers keep plugging their holes. The last few days featured Milwaukee adding bench players like Ryon Healy and Eric Sogord then on Thursday, they signed Justin Smoak to play first base. Once upon a time, Smoak was one of the most hyped prospects in baseball. He got drafted 11th overall, but he never found that hype in the big leagues. Could he find it with the Brewers? It is certainly possible. Smoak gets a chance to play regularly at first base while platooning with Ryan Bruan. This is a smart move by Stearns and company.

Smoak did not have the best 2019 season. He only hit .206 on the year and did not do much besides slug 22 home runs. It is hard to quote home runs from last year given the juiced ball but so be it. Brewers are hoping that Smoak can find some of the magic from 2017 and 2018. He was an All-Star in 2017 when Smoak slugged 38 home runs and hit .270. One of the things I noticed from Smoak’s 2019 is he stopped hitting doubles. Why? I’m unsure but the two years prior he had 29 and 34 respectfully. He does strikeout a bit with a K rate hovering 22-25 percent, but that comes with the slugger territory.

Last three years:

Thames .241/.343/.504 ,72 HRs, 118 OPS+

Smoak .243/.350/.470, 85 HRs, 119 OPS+

Smoak saved $1.5 million and is controllable for another year if club chooses.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 19, 2019

What’s interesting is Eric Thames and Smoak are the Spiderman meme. Thames is a fun guy in the clubhouse, but he comes with a price tag. Not to mention, a risk of reverting to the 2018 Thames that everyone wanted to move for another piece. This is a worthwhile lottery ticket for Stearns. Smoak had an injury all of 2019, and he comes to Miller Park where his left-handed power can thrive as it has for others on the team.

Brewers are currently 25 million under what it is expected they’ll spend this season. As I told you all, they’re not done and the time to strike is probably coming within the next couple of weeks. What does that mean? I’m unsure. There are multiple options that I think Brewers could put on the table. Stearns reshaped the small parts of his roster and now it’s time to get the bigger ones done.

Charlie.