Orioles Should Sign Mike Moustakas
As we draw closer to Spring Training many of the top free agents are still without teams. Moustakas, one of those free agents, has not had too many teams linked to him. The ones rumored to be interested have him as plan B if they are not able to secure Machado. With not much demand he could be a real option for the Orioles to consider.
There are many reasons why Moustakas would be a fit for the Orioles. Mike Elias, Executive VP and GM, has stated that he wants to sign veteran players for leadership roles. The Orioles are a very young team and could use another proven bat in the lineup. He would also improve a weak defense from the previous year. And maybe most importantly, he can be a perfect trade candidate at the deadline again this year.
The Numbers
Moustakas has played most of his career for the Royals in the AL Central. When looking at his numbers outside of the Central Division, they are best at Camden Yards. In 22 games at Oriole Park he has hit 7 home runs with 22 runs batted in and a .506 slugging percentage. If you were to take his 28 home runs and 95 runs batted in from the 2018 season they would have led the Orioles. Adding his left handed power bat to the lineup will help protect young guys, like Mancini, who are still developing. Similarly, it can also help take pressure off of Chris Davis who is trying to bounce back from a historically bad season.
Along with his bat he brings a solid glove at third base. His career .961 fielding percentage ranks 11th among active third basemen. The Orioles experimented with Tim Beckham at the beginning of the season, and Renato Nunez after Machado was dealt to the Dodgers. Both of which did not have the best defensive numbers at third.
Lets Make a Deal
Last year Moustakas signed a 1 year deal in March to return to the Royals after not getting a long term deal done on the open market. As we inch closer to Spring Training we could see the same situation play out. The Orioles could make him a similar 1 year roughly 8 million dollar deal with an option for 2020.
If the Orioles could make that deal happen then the best case scenario would be to flip him at the trade deadline. The Royals traded him at the deadline last year for 2 former top prospects. If the Orioles could get All-Star caliber play out of him and then flip him for at least 1 top prospect it would be well worth it. And after he has been moved, the Orioles could then bring up top prospect Ryan Mountcastle to take over the reins at third base.
Now with all this said will it happen? Most likely not. The Orioles are looking to rebuild for the future. Moustakas, who took a 1 year deal last year, is probably not looking for another 1 year deal as he gets closer to 30. Even though it could help the Orioles now, I do not believe they are looking for short term rentals to trade. Instead they appear to be more focused on building for the long term.
