Royals Rumors: Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas markets are shrinking
When the Royals rumors began to swirl, Kansas City Royals fans didn’t expect the team to have much of a chance to retain any of their big free agents. Now, however, the market might not be what those free agents had in mind.
A few weeks ago, the Kansas City Royals retaining both Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas would have been a laughable statement. Those two players were going to be some of the hottest free agents on the open market and the Royals had made it known that they were probably heading towards a rebuild.
Here we are though near the end of 2017 and the free agent dominos are starting to fall a little more. Those dominos could actually lead to both Hosmer and Moustakas landing back with the Royals, as there just doesn’t appear to be a team willing to spend big bucks on either guy at the moment.
The thought before the offseason began was that the Red Sox would be a big suitor for Hosmer’s services and that the Giants and Angels could be good matches for Moustakas. Well, the Red Sox re-signed Mitch Moreland while the Angels have interest in Chase Headley and the Giants traded for Evan Longoria.
The #RedSox today signed 1B Mitch Moreland to a two-year contract through the 2019 season. pic.twitter.com/1Y15hnd6BN
— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 18, 2017
The Los Angeles #Angels focusing on trading for a third baseman like Chase Headley, and staying out of Mike Moustakas derby for now
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 14, 2017
Breaking: The Tampa Bay Rays have traded 3B Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants, according to multiple reports. pic.twitter.com/ErWT9nCwqm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 20, 2017
So where does that leave Hosmer and Moose? Well, they’re still available to sign and perhaps teams aren’t willing to shell out as much money on either guy as Scott Boras had imagined. At this point, the Padres still appear to be the frontrunner for Hosmer, but it still seems like an odd pairing.
Padres feeling slightly better lately about their chances with Hosmer. Their visit went well, they made an offer and see a real fit even if they’re a year away due to his youth. Kc, possibly Boston (tho they may go for jd) are other threats.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 14, 2017
The Padres, much like the Royals, are in rebuild mode, and obviously see Hosmer as a great option to lead their young team. Kansas City has made it known that they’d like Hosmer to be a part of their rebuild too, but there hasn’t been much buzz on the two sides talking at the moment.
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We saw something similar happen with Alex Gordon two years ago. It seemed unlikely that Gordon would return to the Royals in 2015, but he re-signed in Kansas City on what would be the largest contract in franchise history.
Hosmer hit .318 a season ago while Moustakas crushed 38 bombs. Both men played a pivotal role in getting this organization to the promise land just a few years ago. It’d be great to have them back in Royals jerseys, but at the same time, if a rebuild is what it takes to get back to the World Series, then it might not be the best investment.
The Royals have a replacement at third base in Cheslor Cuthbert, so re-signing Moustakas isn’t really all that necessary honestly. There isn’t a replacement set in stone at first base if Hosmer leaves, so bringing him back makes perfect sense.
The Royals rumors will probably cool off until after the holidays wrap up, but for now, there is still hope that both Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas could remain as members of the Kansas City Royals.