Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas pens letter to Royals fans

The Kansas City Royals’ 2017 season could be officially over with in just a few days (or less), but third baseman Mike Moustakas isn’t giving up. He wrote a letter to Kansas City via The Player’s Tribune and it’s a must read.

The 2017 season hasn’t gone the way that Kansas City Royals fans envisioned, and now… Here we are. Just a week away from the season being over with and potentially none of the big free agents returning to Kansas City after this year.

One of those big free agents is Mike Moustakas, who was drafted by the Royals in the first round in 2007. Moose is hitting the free agent market this winter and he’ll be a hot commodity for sure, as it’s been rumored that the Giants are going to go after him. He’ll be one of the top guys out there this offseason.

Moustakas wrote a piece via The Players Tribune in which he tells Kansas City “We need you”. We being the Royals, of course.

The article is a must read for any KC Royals fan, as it delves into the 2014 and 2015 playoff runs and just how far this team and organization went in the last few years. Moustakas notes that the guys are aware a lot are hitting free agency in November, no one is giving up on this season yet.

"I’m going to give it everything I have for the rest of the season. We all are. You’re not going to see a single guy on this team packing it in.That’s not what we do. That’s not the Royal way."

It certainly looks bleak for the Royals to make the postseason at this point, as their elimination number (as of Monday evening) was one game. They’d basically have to win out and hope that the Twins lose out in order to have a shot. Neither of those scenarios is likely.

[Moose has] proven that he loves Kansas City and fans shouldn’t hold anything against him for getting as much as possible out on the open market.

The best part of the article was Moustakas talking about how he views this team and this organization as his family. He mentions coming up through the minor leagues with Danny Duffy, Jarrod Dyson, Eric Hosmer, Greg Holland, and Salvador Perez and then getting to figure it out in the major leagues together.

"I became like brothers with those guys. I love and respect them as people, and I’d do anything for them."

That was certainly what made the Royals’ runs in 2014 and 2015 special was that it came from a group of guys who were brought up in the farm system together. They grew together, both as players and as individuals. We watched these guys grow up right before our eyes and now… It’s coming to an end.

"And, look, we get that there’s another element lurking in the background here. We know that some of us are going to become free agents after the season. We know things may be different next year in some ways.But we’re not thinking about that now."

People can be as optimistic as they want about the Royals somehow being able to bring back everyone, but it’s not going to happen. Even if the franchise could afford it, it wouldn’t be a smart investment. Look at how poorly Alex Gordon has played since inking the largest contract in franchise history.

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The Kansas City Royals have a shot at bringing back someone and more than likely, they’ll go all in on Eric Hosmer. Hosmer is younger and he’s the type of guy who makes the big play when he needs to.

While the Royals love Moustakas, I see him being their second choice when it comes to keeping one of their big time players. Moose has had a great year though. He broke the Royals single season home run record last week and made it to his second All-Star Game back in July. He’s been a gem for the Royals and we love him.

I won’t be angry at Moustakas for taking the money and going to play in San Francisco or Los Angeles. If he wants to be closer to his family, I get that. He’s proven that he loves Kansas City and the Royals and fans shouldn’t hold anything against him for getting as much as possible out on the open market.

Mike Moustakas has had an up and down career for the Royals, but he’s been one of the best players on the team since 2015. His charisma on the diamond and ability to talk his teammates up has been a blast to watch.

Thank you Mike Moustakas for writing this piece and proving that no matter where you play next year, you’ll always be Forever Royal to us.