The Milwaukee Brewers made another move to fortify their 2019 roster on Sunday, bringing back a Moose to help push for the 2019 NL Central crown.
At the midpoint of the 2018 season, the Milwaukee Brewers found themselves suddenly in second place in the National League Central division after leading the divisional race for nearly the entirety of the first half of the season. The team made a host of transactions, including acquiring infielder Mike Moustakas from the Kansas City Royals in a three-player trade.
On Sunday, the Brewers brought him back for another go-round with the club.
After a second offseason where Moustakas could have rightfully expected a larger market than what appeared after two very quality seasons at 28 and 29 years old, respectively, again “Moose” will be playing on a one-year deal, as multiple sources report that the deal is worth $10 million for 2019 with a 2020 mutual option. Most likely the mutual option will be declined by one side, meaning this is essentially a single-year deal between Moustakas and the Milwaukee Brewers.
After belting a career-high 38 home runs with Kansas City in 2017 and making the All-Star game, Moustakas was surprised to find a limited market, returning to Kansas City on a deal for one year and an option last offseason. He hit for plenty of power with the Royals early, allowing him to be a coveted midseason acquisition.
Though his on-field numbers were not stellar (.256/.326/.441, 104 OPS+, 8 HR in 54 games with the Brewers), his clubhouse attitude was noted by many in postseason interviews as a key for the late-season surge by the Milwaukee Brewers to keep pace until the end with the Chicago Cubs, eventually winning the Central in 2018 and making it all the way to the National League Championship Series before they were ousted by the Dodgers.
Moustakas did his part in the NLDS against Colorado, hitting .364/.462/.455 against the Rockies in the series, but then struggled mightily against Dodgers pitching, with just a .366 OPS in the NLCS.
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Heading into his age 30 season, Moustakas is projected to bring power to the Brewers lineup, though his lack of plate discipline will likely cover up some of that as he’s never had an OBP over .350 in his career.
For the Milwaukee Brewers, this will give the club another season to allow top prospects Keston Hiura and Mauricio Dubon to get their feet under them in AAA before taking over at the big league level likely in 2020.
The signing does continue to push the Brewers to a team-record payroll as Milwaukee attempts to keep up in what has become a deep NL Central division, with each team making notable moves this offseason. However, like with free agent signing Yasmani Grandal, the long-term impact of the signing is minimal for the Brewers, pushing funds into 2019, but not hurting the team’s flexibility for 2020 and beyond.
This move also gives the Milwaukee Brewers arguably the one-two punch of an elite lineup and an elite bullpen. Whether their starting staff will be enough to carry them further in the playoffs in 2019 remains to be seen.