MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers agreed to terms with free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Monday, agent Paul Kinzer told The Associated Press.

Ramirez will provide a much-needed big bat for the Brewers, who are expected to lose first baseman Prince Fielder through free agency and may be without NL MVP Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of next season if he loses his appeal for testing positive for a banned substance.

Kinzer said Ramirez expects the Brewers to be a contender next season, a critical factor in his decision.

“That was one of his criteria,” Kinzer said. “There were about four teams that he liked that were contenders, and Milwaukee was at the top of his list.”

The 33-year-old Ramirez played 149 games for the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs last year, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. Ramirez played the past eight-plus seasons with the Cubs after he was traded by Pittsburgh to Chicago in the middle of 2003.