It’s official…the Brewers have signed free agent outfielder Mike Cameron to shore up their outfield. In signing Cameron, it’s assumed current center fielder Bill Hall will be moved back to third base, a position he played earlier in his career, with incumbent third baseman Ryan Braun being moved to left field. Over on the Brewers Blog at JSOnline, Brewers fans are already going crazy in voicing their disapproval of the signing, but I actually like this, and I’ll tell you why.

First of all, while the exact salary figures haven’t been released yet, the deal is a one year deal with a team option for a second year, which means the Brewers aren’t locked in to Cameron for the long term. Besides the financial implications of the deal, I also like it because it significantly improves the team’s defense, which was a definite weakness last season. Cameron is a very above-average center fielder, and in moving Bill Hall back to third, the Brewers will be able to fill what was essentially a defensive black hole last season. Cameron may not bring much to the table offensively next season - and there’s still that 25 game suspension he’ll have to serve to start the season - but I think his defensive value alone makes this a good deal for the Brew Crew.

I know a lot of Brewers fans were hoping the team would make a blockbuster move this offseason, but to be honest I like what General Manager Doug Melvin has done this offseason. He’s taken a long hard look at what the holes were on his team, and he did his best to fill those holes while still maintaining some semblance of fiscal responsibility. When all is said and done, I think the Brewers are much improved over last season, and I think this is a team that can give the Cubbies a run for their money in the NL Central.

The MJS reported earlier today only a few tickets remained for tonight’s game against the Mets. If the Brewers sell out tonight’s game, that would be the 21st sellout of the season, setting a new club record - a record that’s sure to be broken as the season progresses.

And since I’m on the subject of the Brew Crew, I just want to say how proud I am of how the team has done this year. It’s been a heck of a long time since Brewers fans had anything to cheer about, and I’m glad to see our team doing so well. Even if the Brewers don’t end up winning the NL Central, I still consider this a successful year, because I think the team has far and away exceeded expectations.