KC Royals Potential Departures, Vol. 4: Mike Moustakas

So are you advocating giving mad money to a good-but-not-great third baseman who will be well into his 30s for most of the contract? Or letting him walk? Or flipping him before the deadline?

Let him walk. He’s going to get a sizable contract (Boras Effect!) and whatever return you could get at the deadline looks pretty negligible without a third baseman of some kind going down and creating a market. I’d rather have two young, team-controlled players of my own choosing than a couple of slightly-older, less-controlled, probably already-damaged prospects off a list.  

Likelihood of being traded: 50 percent

Return on investment (if traded): Less than you’d expect. Treat it like a math problem.

Boras Client + Impending Free Agency x multiple injuries = 0 upper-level prospects, low chance of big-league success with two mid-level prospects, likely with injury history of their own.

Example: Houston sends RHP Brady Rogers (currently out after going Tommy John surgery) and OF Stephen Wrenn to the KC Royals for Moustakas.

Next: Potential Moves, Vol. 3: Esky

Future Contract: One day next winter, you’ll be blithely wandering around on Twitter or navigating ESPN.com and see a headline that says something like “Moustakas inks deal with (fiscally irresponsible MLB club) at $16 million per season.” I’ll be extremely surprised if that club is the KC Royals.