Kansas City Royals: Welcome back Mike Moustakas

When the offseason started it seemed very unlikely that the Royals would make a run for third baseman Mike Moustakas. After a slow market for everyone, and Moustakas struggling to find a job, he fell right into the Royals lap.

When the Royals started the offseason it seemed obvious that the beloved third baseman, Mike Moustakas, was going to be playing somewhere other than Kansas City.

Moustakas had plans of signing a major contract after a very solid 2017 campaign. Hitting .272/.314/.521 and mashing a Royals franchise record 38 homeruns, a big payday was thought to be coming his way.

However, the market was a different beast this year. What Moustakas did in 2017 would have been enough for a big deal in years past, but not this year. This year, he might have been better off accepting his $17.4 million qualifying offer.

Late last week, rumors started up that the Royals and Moustakas had re-opened negotiations. Those rumors have since blossomed into more quickly.

sources: moustakes and royals are close to a deal. reunion said extremely likely. from @RobertMurrayFRS and me.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 9, 2018

This would make sense with what the Royals are currently doing. After signing Jon Jay, Lucas Duda, and Michael Saunders, as well as others, to one-year/minor league deals, the Moustakas contract would make sense.

Rustin Dodd, former Kansas City Star writer and now a writer for the Athletic MLB, hinted at a potential contract that came true.

Mike Moustakas turned down a one-year, $17.4 million qualifying offer in November. The one-year deal would probably be less than that; though a hefty buyout on a mutual option in 2019 could spread out the payroll hit in 2018.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) March 9, 2018

The terms as we know them

Moustakas has accepted a one-year, $5.5 million deal with $2.2 million in incentives for the 2018 season. However, his contract comes with a mutual option of $15 million and a $1 million buy-out in 2019.

The likelihood of the mutual option being accepted may not be very high, but the fact that it is there might have been enough to make Moustakas sign. It will also be interesting to see if Moustakas treats his next offseason different. After turning down $17.4 million this year, that $15 million might be enough to keep him around for two years.

Mike Moustakas' deal has a $5.5M salary in 2018 with $2.2 million in performance bonuses. There is a mutual option for $15 million in 2019 with a $1 million buyout.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2018

Final Thoughts

In any case, welcome back Mike Moustakas! The fans are going to be able to chant their favorite “Moooooose” chant for at least one more year.

It might be safe to say that the Royals “rebuild” might not be as much of a rebuild as we originally thought. But I digress.

Hopefully, Moustakas can replicate his 2017 year!

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What do you think Royals fans? Do you like the contract? Are you happy to have Moustakas back? Let us know your thoughts below!

The terms as we know them

Final Thoughts

Schedule