KC Royals: Could Team Succeed Without Mike Moustakas in 2017

The KC Royals are coming off of a less than stellar campaign in 2016, where they went 81-81 on the year. A large part of that had to do with the absence of Mike Moustakas’ bat in the lineup, which begs the question… Could the Royals win without Moose this season?

The KC Royals will have some big decisions to make in the next year or so, and one of them pertains to third baseman Mike Moustakas.

Moustakas, the second overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft, has emerged as a huge fan favorite in Kansas City. He struggled early on in his career, but started to figure some things out during the postseason in 2014.

Those playoffs saw Moose slam five home runs and plate seven RBI. He finally showed what he was capable of doing in 2015, when he was voted to his first All-Star Game as an alternate.

The problem with parting ways with Moustakas, however, is that the absence of his bat showed up big time last season.

That 2015 season was Moustakas’ best major league season, but a torn ACL ended his 2016 campaign early on. He’ll be back for 2017, but will it for sure be with the Royals?

During the winter meetings, it was reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers were looking at Moustakas as a possible third baseman for their team. Now it’s worth noting that since then, the Dodgers have inked Justin Turner to a long-term contract, but this is still an interesting topic in my opinion.

If the Royals decided to trade Moustakas – Could they win without him?

It wouldn’t be entirely crazy for the Kansas City Royals to consider trading Moose. I know that wouldn’t be the popular decision, but the team is loaded with talent at the third base position.

They have Cheslor Cuthbert, who stepped up in Moose’s absence last season and slashed .274/ .318/.413 with 12 home runs in 128 games. He looked good and showed that he could be the long-term answer at third base.

The Royals also have Hunter Dozier at third base, who was called up in September to spend some time in the majors.

More from KC Kingdom

Dozier only batted .211 during his few weeks in Kansas City, but while in Omaha last season, he was slashing .294/.357/.506 with 15 dingers. The guy showed he can hit for power in the minor leagues and I feel like it’s time to give him a chance in the big leagues.

The problem with parting ways with Moustakas, however, is that the absence of his bat showed up big time last season. The Royals ranked 23rd in runs scored last season and struggled to score guys all year long.

While trading Moose would be a detriment to the team, it might not be too crazy. The Royals have two other guys primed for third base and Moose is only under contract for 2017 before hitting the free agent market.

His agent, Scott Boras, is notorious for letting guys roam the market and see what they’re worth, rather than discussing a deal with their current team. That could be reason enough for the KC Royals to send Moose elsewhere.

Next: 20 Best Royals During the Dark Years

Ultimately though – I don’t see Mike Moustakas going anywhere in 2017 because quite frankly – I’m not sure this team would win games without him. They struggled enough in 2016 and it showed that they really need his bat in the lineup to compete.

What do you think, Royals fans? Can this team be a contender without Mike Moustakas?

Home/Kansas City Royals