Philadelphia Phillies: At a bargain, Mike Moustakas is worth a look
By Tim Boyle
Free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas has not garnered much attention this offseason. If the price drops, the Philadelphia Phillies should take a look.
None of the three primary Kansas City Royals MLB free agents have signed new deals this offseason. Eric Hosmer holds out hope for a $100+ million contract while Lorenzo Cain attempts to persuade teams to look beyond his age. In the case of Mike Moustakas, it’s merely a lack of need around MLB keeping him unemployed.
Very few competitive teams have an opening at third base. The New York Yankees have internal options while the Boston Red Sox can give prospect Rafael Devers the job at a much cheaper price tag than Moustakas would ask for. Evan Longoria will play the hot corner for the San Francisco Giants, leaving Moustakas with very few teams around baseball. Unless the New York Mets decide to spend on yet another left-handed hitter, Moustakas may have to settle for far less than initially intended.
For the Philadelphia Phillies, this is excellent news. Weeks after surprising us with the Carlos Santana signing, they could drop our jaws again by inking Moustakas.
Why the Philadelphia Phillies could use Moustakas
Mike Moustakas could thrive with the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season’s 38 home run power display may have been an anomaly. Even if the long balls take a dip, the Phillies could see Moustakas provide them with consistent home runs in the 25-30 range.
From the start of free agency, Moustakas has been one of the tougher free agents to judge. He struggled for many seasons before finally developing into an All-Star candidate in 2015. Since then, Moustakas has found a way to hit home runs and put up a decent average consistently. Even the injury-shortened 2016 campaign hinted that Moustakas is now a home run-focused batter.
Because his sample size of success is so short, I foresee many teams looking the other way this winter. As a result, a team like the Phillies could then make a deal.
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Third base is one position the Phillies could improve. Maikel Franco’s offseason issues alone warrant a look around the league. Furthermore, it’s the way Franco has hit that should at least get their attention to focus on Moustakas. Once they learn how much he’s asking, the Phillies can make a decision.
At 29-years-old, Moustakas is young enough to help the Phillies when they are ready to compete again. Rather than break the bank with Manny Machado next winter or sign an aging Josh Donaldson, the Phillies can add a nice bat at a far greater bargain. With the savings, the Phillies can finally add to the starting rotation.
One can argue Moustakas’ presence potentially blocks Scott Kingery from sharing the infield with Cesar Hernandez. While true, there’s no telling how well Kingery will perform in MLB or if Hernandez sticks around for the long haul.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have a promising young team. Like the Houston Astros learned from 2015 to 2017, those youngsters need some veteran reinforcements. Mike Moustakas is one cavalry member Philadelphia could use.