The New York Yankees like free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas but signing him would be a long shot, according to reports.
Free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas still needs a team to play for the 2018 season.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the New York Yankees have had occasional contact with Moustakas recently, but the team says that signing him would be a “long shot.” The Yankees are trying to stay under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold and they are believed to be between $16 million and $22 million under the threshold currently.
The third baseman is expected to ask for a multi-year deal that averages between $15 million and $20 million annually, according to CBS New York.
Moustakas has been with the Kansas City Royals for the entirety of his career. Last year he hit .272/.314/.521 with a career-high 38 home runs and 85 RBIs. He is a two-time All Star and won a World Series title with the Royals in 2015.
Signing Moustakas would give the Yankees another power hitter, along with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez. While the Yankees like Moustakas, they simply can’t afford to sign him. However, they would be interested in a one-year deal if it could be worked out, so that they could have the option to go after Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles, who will be a free agent next year.
Unless the Yankees sign Moustakas or another third baseman, Miguel Andujar will most likely be the Yankees’ third baseman this season.
So where will the Royal end up? The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves are the logical candidates, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. However the Mets have signed Todd Frazier and have explicitly stated that they wouldn’t go after Moustakas. Staying with the Royals is another option, especially if the Royals aren’t able to bring back Eric Hosmer.
It looks like Moustakas might be staying with the Royals since it appears that a deal with the Yankees most likely isn’t going to happen. But hey, stranger things have happened.
