Royals Rumors: Yankees continue to have interest in Mike Moustakas

Royals rumors are probably over, as the Royals likely won’t make a big splash in free agency with Eric Hosmer signing elsewhere. Mike Moustakas is now the name to watch.

With Eric Hosmer finally inking a deal with the Padres, we’ll now shift our attention to Mike Moustakas and what the future has in store for him. Kansas City Royals fans knew all along that Eric Hosmer was the team’s main goal, but there was some hope that perhaps if Hoz didn’t come back, maybe Moose would.

Jeffrey Flanagan nixed that early on after Hosmer signed with the Padres, tweeting out that the Royals did not plan to retain Moustakas (see tweet below). Dayton Moore even was quoted as saying “That period of time, that phase of who we are, is over. We need to move on.” 

Nothing like a sharp jab in the heart there, eh Dayton? Royals fans knew what to expect this offseason, but obviously keeping one of the big three (Hosmer, Moustakas, or Lorenzo Cain) would have made the fan base happy. Cain and Moustakas never really appeared to be in the team’s future plans though.

On Monday, however, Jon Heyman had reported that the Royals weren’t necessarily out on bringing Moustakas back. There was another report from Buster Olney that indicated the New York Yankees were “circling like a shark” around Moustakas.

From the beginning of the offseason, aside from the West Coast teams, the Yankees made sense for Moustakas. Todd Frazier signed with the Mets, so the Yankees really don’t have any experienced vet to field third base. They have Miguel Andujar, who is only 22 years old to play third base if needed, but one would have to think that the Yankees would love to have a veteran there.

Moustakas was able to hit 38 home runs while playing 81 games at the spacious Kauffman Stadium, so just imagine what he could do at Yankee Stadium. New York will be cautious of the luxury tax, but I’m sure there are ways they can get around it. Perhaps they give Moustakas a one-year deal just to make sure he’s holding up okay after getting hit by a pitch last year.

It’s perplexing as to why Moustakas hasn’t gotten any buzz on the free agent market, but this has been a weird free agency season. Hosmer just signed a contract, so it shouldn’t be too long before Moustakas signs his next deal.

The Yankees seem to be a good fit for Mike Moustakas and that’s been a team he’s been linked with since the start of free agency. It’s looking like that could end up being where Moose calls home in 2018.