Here's why former MLB journeyman Eric Thames is a hot free-agent commodity

Thames could return to the United States in 2017

If you watched American League baseball during the 2011-12 seasons, odds are you have some recollection of Eric Thames. If not, Thames was an outfielder who played with the Blue Jays and Mariners, and who was acquired at various points by the Orioles and Astros. He was known best for his stylish facial hair.

Thames has spent the past three seasons in Korea, where he has dominated while playing with the NC Dinos. Most recently, he hit .317/.425/.676 with 40 home runs in 525 plate appearances. Impressive, right? Predictably, Thames' Bondsian performance has drawn the eye of some big-league teams, and the chance to cash in could bring him back to the States. Here's what Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported:

The San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are among the clubs that have followed Thames in Korea and expressed varying degrees of interest in him, sources said.

That those three teams are each of the small-market variety makes sense, given Thames represents an interesting data point on the risk-reward spectrum.

A true believer in Thames will look at his production overseas and bank on him being a later bloomer -- or at least someone who can help against right-handed pitching, either at first base, DH or in left field. It's overzealous to expect his KBO numbers to translate one-to-one, but it's worth noting he was essentially an average hitter overall during his time in the majors (he had a 96 OPS+) and that those numbers were weighed down in part by his struggles against same-side pitching (he posted a .634 OPS vs. lefties).

A skeptic, meanwhile, will write Thames off as fool's gold. The KBO-to-MLB pipeline hasn't been as prosperous as previously thought -- Jung Ho Kang aside -- and Thames' profile boasts legitimate concern about his defense, his bat speed and his approach. To quote one scout from Crasnick's piece, "He's a first-ball fastball hacker, boy." There's a legitimate chance, basically, that Thames receives a multiyear deal, only to be discarded as quickly as he was during his first go-around in the majors.

And there's the rub. Some team is going to risk a decent sum -- Crasnick had a source suggesting Thames could receive a deal worth as much as $18 million -- to find out which camp is correct. If it pays off, the team will have itself a quality, in-his-prime hitter with legitimate thump. If it doesn't, well, we'll be back here in a year or two's time mocking them for their error.

All the same, that conflict is why Thames is becoming one of baseball's most interesting free agents -- particularly for bargain-seeking front offices.