Brewers Sign Mike Cameron

UPDATE, 1-11-08 at 5:21pm: Tom Haudricourt has the contract details.  Cameron gets a $1.25MM signing bonus and will make about $4.22MM in ’08 (missed out on $780K due to his suspension).  The 2009 option is for $10MM, plus a $750K buyout.  As Haudricourt says, in a way it’s a one-year, $6.22MM deal.  Were the Padres unwilling to pay this amount?  By the way, the signing isn’t a precursor to a Bill Hall trade.

FROM 1-11-08 at 2:18pm:

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers have signed center fielder Mike Cameron to a one-year deal with a club option for 2009.  The amount is not yet known, but this seems like a solid move by Doug Melvin.

Rosenthal adds that one reason the Yankees may have passed is that they were unwilling to pay both Cameron and Johan Santana.  (Really?)

Once Cameron finishes his 25 game stimulant suspension, he’ll push Bill Hall to third and Ryan Braun to left field.  So the Brewers gain defensively and get a career .251/.341/.445 hitter to play center (definitely above average for the position).