The Milwaukee Brewers were in the National League Championship Series just a couple of months ago. Ah, the good times. Since then, one of their best hitters left (or will leave) as a free agent, and the other one is involved in some sort of banned-substances brouhaha.

But the Brewers didn't just sit still, feeling sorry for themselves -- they reportedly signed third baseman Aramis Ramirez to a three-year contract. ESPN Chicago has the scoop:

Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez will sign a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, pending a physical, according to a source familiar with the situation.

While it would have been impossible for the Brewers to replace Prince Fielder on this year's market, Aramis has been one of the more consistent right-handed hitters in baseball, putting up an OPS+ between 126 and 138 in seven of the last eight seasons. Ramirez hit .306/.361/.510 last season for the Cubs. 

That's the good news. The bad news is that the 34-year-old Ramirez is also a little injury prone, having missed upwards of 30 games in two of the last three seasons. But with the twin moves of Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez, the Brewers have dramatically upgraded the left side of their infield.

As of now, either Mat Gamel or Casey McGehee would appear to be the de facto starting first baseman, with the recently signed Travis Ishikawa providing a little depth.