Dec. 5: The Reds have formally announced the agreement and confirmed the reported contractual terms. Moustakas has agreed to a four-year, $64MM deal — the largest free-agent signing in Reds franchise history.
Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer breaks down the yearly details: Moustakas will earn $12MM in 2020, $14MM in 2021, $16MM in 2022 and $18MM in 2023. There’s also an unannounced club option for the 2024 season that is valued at $20MM and comes with a $4MM buyout.
Dec. 2: The Reds have agreed to a deal with free agent infielder Mike Moustakas, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter links). It’s a four-year, $64MM pact for the Scott Boras client, according to reports from Heyman and Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
After two disappointing trips through the free agent process, it seems Moose has finally secured a long-awaited long-term agreement. His recently demonstrated ability to line up at second base was a game changer for the long-time third baseman. Moustakas now appears likely to pair up with Freddy Galvis to form a bit of an unlikely double-play combo in Cincinnati.
We predicted a five-year pact for Moustakas after the 2017 season, when he was a high-quality and still youthful third baseman. After he was forced into a pillow deal, we downgraded expectations to a two-year deal entering the 2018-19 winter. Moustakas again settled for a single-season guarantee from the Brewers. On the heels of another solid, but hardly otherworldly season, we doubled down on that two-year guess … only to see Moustakas absolutely smash expectations.
Having seen him up close over the past two seasons, the Reds clearly believe that Moustakas is not only capable of holding down the fort at second base, but doing so well and for some years to come. The corners are already locked up for the foreseeable future with Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez.
And the Cincinnati front office is also going all-in on the bat of Moustakas. He has now twice exceeded thirty home runs and has topped the .200 mark in isolated power in each of the past four campaigns. The power is real, but so are the on-base struggles. Moustakas’s .329 OBP from 2019 was a career high-water mark but barely topped the league average.
Over the course of his career, Moustakas has reached base at a marginal .310 clip. Can he sustain and even extend his relatively productive 2019 in the OBP arena? Moustakas did carry a personal-best 9.1% walk rate in 2019, though his swinging-strike rate also crept up to a new high-water mark (11.0%). He has never hit much for average, so continued commitment to drawing free passes may be the ticket.
Even at his best, Moustakas has never rated as a true star. He has topped 2.0 fWAR in each of the past three campaigns but hasn’t gone past 3.0 since 2015. While bWAR put him at 3.2 wins above replacement in 2019, it took a dimmer view of his prior three seasons. And at this point, youth isn’t really on Moose’s side. But the Reds obviously feel that Moustakas will continue to be a steady producer and were willing to pay for his consistency. It stands to reason that other teams did as well, since the bidding pushed so far north.
Welp, it’s about to get interesting around baseball….
I wanted this guy to come to the Braves if they can’t resign Donaldson but not at this price. I thought he would get a 2 year deal at less than $30 million. He has great power but his lack of ability to get on base or take walks is absolutely atrocious. Strike outs are a big problem too. It’s okay to strike out a lit if you are a 3 true outcomes hitter and take a lot of walks to go along with those homers. If you are gonna be a 2 true outcomes player like Moose, one if those outcome should not be strikeouts. Unfortunately, that’s the case with Moose. If he could ever figure out how to rack up walks and become a more patient hitter, the would be a much better player.
Last year he had 35 hrs and a 329 obp.Look 329 is not great but it’s not atrocious. Also he is a plus dwar infielder who can play several positions.As a second baseman he has excellent power.
The article even mentioned it was above average. Not amazing, but better than.
dan uggla was a 2b with incredible power and we all know what happened with that
Except Moose has been doing it for 4/5 years and now he heads to one of the most hitter friendly parks in MLB.
And he was also Uggla, too!
Well, at least he and Votto cover each other’s weaknesses.
He also was hurt in September which dragged down his stats. I can’t see him being very good at second over the next 4 years though.
THERE THEY GO AGAIN, SIGNING
A IFFY BALL PLAYER, TO A TOO
LONG CONTRACT. NO MORE THAN
A 2 YEAR ONE, SHOULD THEY HAVE
GONE. OR MAYBE PASSED ON HIM
ALL TOGETHER.
Oh my God… Can someone tell me what’s wrong with this kid? Is he okay or does he need help with something?
Right because they could cover this weakness in their lineup with another option at 2B…riiiiight.
HEY, JUST REPLYING TO
THE COMMENT ABOVE MINE
AND BEFORE THAT.
AND I’M NOT A KID, I’M
65, AND AM FROM CINCY
I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE
REDS SINCE 1964 AND KNOW
THERE HISTORY.
MY USERNAME IS A REFERENCE TO THE STEVE
MCQUEEN FILM.
Moustakas for four years $64M way too much, he’ll be good for maybe a year or two then what? Crazy money
HOW FAR DID YOU GET IN SCHOOL? WHY DO YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS?
Ok, boomer
What good player is going to sign for two years? Lol
Lets see. DJ Lemahieu signed a two year contract and was fourth in the American League in MVP voting. Charlie Morton signed a two year contract third in the AL in the Cy Young voting but good point smartass.LOL
Stand up – are you seriously saying that Moose’s 16.2% K rate is a weakness and not a strength?
@StandUpGuy
You must have him mistaken with someone else. He walked 9% vs striking out 17%. Both are good numbers. A one of 3 outcomes would be a guy like a Suarez or Voit type.
I know they said he’s going to play 2nd but what would really make things interesting is if the Reds kept him at 3rd & used Suarez as a trade chip to try and land Lindor.
Suarez is a top level player & has one of the best (if not the best) contracts in baseball, he is also under team control for I believe another 6 years, which makes him a huge commodity. Lindor is one of the best overall players in baseball but only has 2 years of team control on an extremely salary conscious team. Not sure if either team would do it but if the Reds really wanted to go for broke that’s the kind of stupid crazy move that could make things real fun
STOP TALKING ABOUT USING EUGENNIO, AS TRADE BAIT, FOR
MOOSE? OR ANY ONE ELSE.
HE’S THE BEST PLAYER ON THE REDS, AND ONE OF THE BEST IN BASEBALL.
IF THE REDS TRADE HIM, THEY’RE NUTS.
AND KEEP JOSE AT SHORTSTOP, GET RID OF PERREZ, JOSE IS A BETTER HITTER, HE’S MORE CONSISTENT, AND
A BETTER INFIELDER.
CORRECTION: PERAZA
Jesus Christ
JOSE IGLESIAS!
DUDE!
Iglesias is a free agent now. Peraza was non-tenured yesterday, so he’s gone. The reds are going for a playoff berth this upcoming season. The middle infield free agent market isn’t very deep. This move makes sense. I would’ve liked to see a 3yr instead.
ME TOO. I DIDN’T KNOW
THAT THEY LET GO OF
PERAZA. WAS HOPING
THERE’D KEEP IGGY.
THANKS!!!
EVEN THE GUYS ON THE
MLB NETWORK THINK THE
REDS WENT TOO FAR.
Is this happening? I feel this convo is a prank.
EZ on who your bringing into the name calling here, let’s keep religion out of baseball, thank you
love this early start to the offseason
What a waste of dollars $$$$
Staying in the NL Central.
Cue the Red Moose memes.
The Reds might be actually decent this year for the first time since Dusty Baker!
They’re actually a really good team already. Great pitching. Good hitting top to bottom. And I’m a Cubs fan
As a Cards fan, I agree. They’re scary.
They just need their hitting and pitching to sync together. 2 years ago their hitting was great and pitching wasn’t. Last year their pitching was good and their hitting took a step back. Get them both on the same page, and they’re going to be really good. And really scary. Plus, Moose in a very hitter friendly park is going to help his offensive numbers.
They have potential, but you’re really overstating them. So far, they have good pitching, not great. Meanwhile, they certainly do NOT have good hitting “from top to bottom.” So far, they’ve got Suarez, Moose’s power, Votto’s on-base ability, and not much else. They’ve still got a lot of work to do if they want to avoid another fourth place (maybe third place if the Brewers don’t adequately fill enough of their numerous holes) finish.
You’re not wrong but you’re not right.
The Reds lineup is full of quality bats who were viewed as the teams strength heading into last year. With this being the case the Reds FO took aim at getting some pitching to bolster the team in the form of Sonny Gray, Alex Wood, Trevor Bauer to add to a rotation that really only had Castillo. It would have worked beautifully except the hitters all regressed (save Suarez/Iglesias) under Turner Ward…now with Ward gone hopefully their decent hitters will level out and excel over where they had been and adding new bats like Moose and hopefully Didi Gregarious will elevate the team even further…that said, there is a ton of talent already in Cincinnati.
I read your tight post Papi. Did you see my response?
To play 2b obviously…seems silly. Could have had Gregorius and let Galvis/Van Meter tackle 2b.
Can still have gregorius…
Yes they can. I just don’t consider Van Meter and Galvis full time bench bats.
Just curious, what do you consider them then?
+DHud
Using process of elimination and reasonable deduction skills, he probably sees them as 2B platoon (hence: let Galvjs/Van Meter tackle 2b) players.
That is exactly what they are, full time bench bats. Neither is a full time starter.
Exactly what I was going to say. If you grab Gregorius then all of a sudden Galvis and Van Meter is just one of the best utility player pairs a team could have and not an every day star.
Gregorius isn’t a very good defensive shortstop. He needs to move to second or third. His OBP is suspect also. Take him out of Yankee stadium and that short porch and you have the next Scooter Gennett… not the good 2018 one… the 2019 version.
.746 OPS career OPS at Yankee Stadium. .742 career OPS overall. Damning split.
Your troll game has gotten weak.
It’s reached the point that it’s comedy.
Moose is a solid player who will help the Reds. Might be 1 year to long in my opinion. But the Reds got a good player. They look to be like a team on rise in 2020. They have a real good mix of youth and veterans. The pitching staff can be scary good. The NL Central is there for the taking.
Your Homer game is top notch.
I agree. But the Reds have to overpay for FA at this point. I think this is a good pickup to try and do something now instead of always building for the future…hopefully they front load the contract so he can be traded for some value during the end of year 3 of the contract.
I think they gave him way too much. He’s a 21 million dollar player? 3B free agents are smiling everywhere!
Oops- thought he got three years…
I agree over paid for sure, and four years yecks
On what do you base that.In 2017 and 2018 the jast 2 years he played a good portion of the year he had a .7 and a .9 dWAR, I admit last year was a lost year but comparing Didi to say Xander Bogaerts Bogaerts had a -1 for both of the last 2 years.Look Didi is not the best fielding ss in baseball but he is definitely a solid ss.
“Gregorius isn’t a very good defensive shortstop.” I stand by that statement. Look at the defense rankings. He’s below average. I didn’t say he was “unplayable”, just said he wouldn’t be my number 1 option at short. Especially coming off an injury shortened season.
Reds need Offense without taking a huge step back defensively.
4 year deal. Wtf Reds…..
I agree. The optimist in me says he will only be 34 when the contract expires. The pessimist says that 4th year will be rough. The realist says if he puts up a war of 2 plus for 3 of the years, might be worth it.
WTF?
Nice. This means the Braves will likely save money so they can sign Bumgarner.
They still have a huge need at 3rd base so this move doesn’t mean anything as far as money for pitching goes. I still can’t figure why you’re so dead set on Bumgarner in ATL though. He’s not an ace anymore. He’s a declining pitcher who gives up HRs like they’re going out of style and does so in a pitchers park. He’s a number 3 at best.
Giving up on Austin Riley already?
No one is giving up on Riley, but he needs work.
Do you know what else needs work? The entire rotation other than Soroka. Umbrella man should sign elsewhere.
Do the Braves actually need any better than a #3 starter considering what they already have?
Agreed that they need to spend money to fill their 3B hole in some manner.
Bumgarner and ryu if possible
Hamels is a better option. He can do everything MadBum can do for a smaller commitment. Bumgarners personal prophet continues to try and spread the faith though.
Yeah I been clamoring for MadBum for 2 yrs but now that Hamels said he would be willing to sign for 1 or 2 yrs I am asking why it hasn’t been done already.
Anybody think with Moose signing Suarez may be available ???
Don’t the Reds have a couple different 2B options coming up ???
Inciarte, Newcomb Greene for Suarez ????
Suarez isn’t going anywhere
Why not both?
To much money devoted to two pitchers who are back of the rotation pieces. We also need a slot available for our young talent to compete for.
He will rake in that ballpark.
He hit 38 dongs in Kauffman. He could easily approach 50 in that bandbox.
Very wishful thinking, he’s not going to approach 50hr.
Moose played in Miller park. That’s more a hitters paradise then Great American Ballpark.
Big overpay on years, not aav.
most of those weren’t hit at kauffman, actually
Yep, I look for Moustakas to have a great offensive season playing for the Reds in 2020.
For 2b? Peraza our, Moose in?
Yes
I hope so
I figured the Braves would have got him.
Four years… that seems insane to me. The market has started off steep when you include Will Smith, Kyle Gibson, Drew Pomeranz and now Moose….
Disagree. Moose hasn’t been a superstar but he’s been well above average and the deal seems fair in dollars and years unless everything is compared to DJL’s deal last year with the Yankees. Personally, I’m glad he didn’t go to an AL club.
I think his bat will age just fine. Especially the first 2-3 years of the deal. Curious to watch how his glove ages. Hope it works. Loved moose in Milwaukee. Tons of big time moments out of him
calling Moustakas a superstar is insane. He is a good starter.
Correct, dewey did not call him a superstar!
He said he isn’t a superstar
uberalec, no issues. I sometimes too misread posts. To the others, I appreciate the back up.
reading is hard.
I knew the A’s weren’t a serious contender for Mouse, but it still sucks to see this headline
I’d be ok not having Moose if it meant he had to play at 2B lol
He’s not a bad second baseman at all so…
To play… where? Isn’t Eugenio Suarez their 3B?
Not criticizing the move, just curious.
2nd vase
Base*
Turns out Cincinnati Philharmonic needs him to play second bass.
If the Cincinnati Phil is paying their second bassist $64 million dollars, what’s the concertmaster earning lol
He can play 2nd or the reds could trade Suarez and get a king’s ransom in return. They could still get Gregorious.
NO,
He can play 2nd base, or possible LF.
I think Suarez is a better 3rd basebam
Suarez can always move to 2nd. He’s a great athlete.
I agree. Suarez would be a good fit at second.
Mike Moustakas goes with whichever Dick pays the most.
and why wouldn’t he follow the money? it is not like players havent been signed in good faith on a “winning” team only to be sold off as assets when the team loses. the only loyalty in the game anymore is to yourself.
The Moose finally got his multi year deal!
Anything above $60 million would shock me considering the amount of years. Wonder what the effect of this on Donaldson and Rendon will be? The bar has officially been set.
Update: Rosenthal is reporting it’s in the $65 million range. Great for Moose, but wow. This hot stove season has been a market correction compared to the last two year’s sluggishly slow moving transaction mill.
$16 M per for four years? Major overpay by the Reds.
WAR is valued at near $8m per so unless you think he’s sub-2/year seems fair
But WAR shouldn’t be valued that highly. A guy that makes 5.0 WAR isn’t going to be paid $40 million a year. The O’s just cut Villar, a 4.0 WAR guy because they didn’t think he was worth $11 million.
What?!? WAR is the end-all=beat-all stat. There are no other stats that come anywhere close to being able to tell EVERYTHING you need to know about a ball player.
Mike Moustakas for 4/64 should’ve happened two offseasons ago. Today that’s a real heavy price to pay for a 31 year old Moose.
Seems about right.
3.2 WAR, probably not much regression
Needs an 8 WAR over the 4 years to be fair (at 8 mil per war)
Jbigz :Exactly.
On the O’s who are light years away from being a factor Villar isn’t worth $11m for a team who needs to show improvement to a fan base like the Marlins or a contender he is.
Not all contracts are equal.
Can you name any free agent outside of maybe Harper who ever got 8 mill per WAR point. At that rate Mike Trout desrves 80 mill per year. Nolan Arenado 42 mill Xander Bogaerts is a 41 million dollar player. I’veseen that everywhere and it has no basis in reality. Heck according to that the Moose is grossly underpaid. He should be worth 25 mill per year
Way over paid he’s had his best years, soon his beard will be gray
Nowhere, how old are you? Twelve?
I see down below where you are predicting a big decline starting in 2020. You realize that’s a few months from now, right? But even more meaningful is your prediction that he will suddenly go prematurely gray.
Like you said, you have nowheretogobutup
rendon will make twice as much as moose, what bar?
Moose, the consensus third best third baseman on the market, just received four years and $64 million.
“The bar” being how much does the total commitment push Josh Donaldson’s price tag up? Does Donaldson now feel he’s worth $80-$100 million? Is a fourth year a hard ask?
Most pegged JD around at three years around $70-75 million entering the offseason. This signing could very well make his figure go up to 3/80 or 4/90.
This deal doesn’t impact either Donaldson’s or Rendon’s markets. Donaldson will get $20M+ AAV for however many years a team will be willing. Rendon will get $30M-$40M AAV depending on how many years he wants. This deal doesn’t impact either. What it does say is Boras is out for blood after 2 straight slow off-seasons. He’ll make more money in the first year than he has the last 2 seasons combined.
Boros might be out for blood, but I don’t think he is in the drivers seat any longer. The owners via their GMs have figured out how to deal with guys like Boros. They saw how he operates and now have their backup plans in place, before they get to the crossroads with his clients.
IMO this was a movie of desperation out on the Reds FO.
It definitely impacts Donaldson’s market. There’s now an even bigger cliff after Rendon and Donaldson. Im positive there’s at least one team who said ,”we’d go to salary X for Donaldson and if it went above that we’d pivot to Moose for salary Y.” Probably more than 1 team w that In mind. This definitely impacts Donaldson
Rendon? He was in a substantially different salary bracket to begin with so it may not impact that market substantially.
47 games at 2nd base. 40 starts. Finished just 30. One error. Seems like a small sample.
Who thinks moose got 4yrs 32m
Double what you guessed. $64 million.
Yes! Finally picked one right!
16 million a year, wow.
Absolutely shocked at the 4yrs.
Nice! The last year of this deal could potentially be a little rough, he could’ve really benefited signing with AL team.
Great move for the Reds!
First year of this deal could be rough without the juiced balls any longer.
If it’s true of Moustakis it’s true of everyone else in the league.At least he’s hit 38 hrs once before. If it effects the Moose I guess it effects Rendon too.Before last years 34 he had never broken 25.You can’t attack Moose for the juiced ball unless you think that other fas also aren’t worth the money because of the juiced ball. Moustakis had the 23rd most hrs in the major leagues last year and everyone was hitting with a juiced ball. Your statement is ridiculous
Nice. That’s a good signing! Love it for the Reds.
$64 MM? Is like half of it deferred until 2080 or something similar?
WOW Congrats MOUS $64 a lot more than I expected.
A lot more expensive and more defensively questionable than Villar, no? Gregorius’ #1 suitor is out of the mix too, his price should come down. Padres should have waited a few more hours before trading for Profar
Would not say that.
I think the Reds are still in on Didi.
I would still like them to get Villar to play SS, and to extend him.
Then, we will be a lot better.
Your kidding of course Padres would really be stupid to pay this guy $64M that is a joke, should have been three yrs. $33m tops
40 bombs fo sho.
this deal isnt going to look that hot in a few years.
Reds need it to look good for 2 years.
Hopefully a front end heavy contract do they can use moose as a trade candidate during years 3/4
This is Cincinnati realizing and pretty much saying “we can’t win so we know we are going to have to overpay to get any decent free agents to come here“. Don’t be surprised if when it comes out the numbers it’s close to or north of 70 million
Cincy can win, especially in that division where all of the teams are going through pretty big changes.
You’re partly right.
This is the Reds having to overpay FA because of their recent history but don’t be confused, they have the money to play and get the bats they need and the pitching is already there to win.
Love how all of the “experts” in the comments are dumbfounded. It’s a good deal for both sides if Moose can continually put up 2+ WAR per season.
4 years. Lol. Wow are they good with there $
*their
There’s no “their”, there
Would’ve loved the Braves to sign him, but that’s a pretty great deal for him. Would’ve been nice to have someone who could play third and spell Albies 10-15 games a year while recouping a pick to use on another QO free agent.
This is huge he’s gonna hit 45 home runs. Maybe 30 just at Great American Ballpark
Why does everyone think that? Miller Park is homer friendly too and he didn’t hit 45v there.
The ball carries more at GAB. Miller is depends on if the roof is closed or not.
second or third place team at the moment………sign Cole & Strasburg, Reds got the NL Central !
Cole and Strasburg? Lol!
And Rendon they’re saying.
Good move for the Reds
Yup I now have egg on my face. Get Matt Duffy or Lonnie Chisenhall and see if that could help replace some offense
As a neutral fan, I’m stoked to see Moose finally get that payday after two frustrating trips through free agency.
Yes poor Moose. Only made $10,000,000 last year. Now he doesn’t have to apply for food stamps anymore.
He was a bargain at $10MM. Pretty much the poster child for collusion the last two winters. Good for him getting his payday.
Not worth it you’ll see how he declines in 2020 and thereafter
That’s one way to look at it (albeit a stupid way). Or you can use common sense and look at what his peers made/are making and realize that free agency was not kind to him for whatever reason over the last 2 offseasons.
Riiiight. It was just a fluke of the market.
This’ll be a test away from the one year deals he’s been getting. Wonder if he’ll fall back with the longer term contract. Too long but he should hit close to 40 hrs in that bandbox. Probably at least 10 to the Pirates.
Great American is not called Coors east for no reason.
Would’ve loved the Angels to sign Mike, but apparently they’re happy with slap hitters with no power. Good signing for the Reds. As of now, they’re looking like a WC team
Wow.. I’m really not a huge Moustakas fan but he was overlooked the last few offseasons. Good for him for making it happen.
Good for him.
Was hoping Philly would grab him to bat 6th behind Hoskins or Realmuto. Was thinking 2/25 or 2/30. For 4 years and close to 70mil they can have him.
Not your money and the Phillies aren’t struggling to keep the lights on so I’ll gladly take the massive upgrade
4 years would have blocked Bohm, and 65mil may have taken them out of the Cole/Stras race. Keep em
Do you have proof they are even in the Cole/Stras race?
Is the Phillies fan really talking about overpaying for someone?
Whos playing RF for y’all?
Haha
Y’all?! Who are you really CrewBrew, Boss Hogg?
Glad Moose has the money now
Noice
Congrats, Moose. Great player, great teammate and great guy. Enjoyed seeing him getting to play with LoCain in Milwaukee but he deserves this. Cincy will love him. No drama, no silly stuff, no looking for headlines, just a gritty player who plays hard and stays focused. He’s a Forever Royal guy to me and I’ll root for him wherever he goes. Just like Cain and Hosmer.
Good for Moose, but this just proves what I was afraid of all off-season (from a Braves fan perspective). The Rangers and Reds were dying to spend money on bats and combined with the regular big market guys always looking for an upgrade, it felt like Moose was going to get too much attention and years for the Braves to use him as a well-priced fallback option like everyone (well maybe just Braves fans) assumed.
It feels like JD might hold out for the most money now that hes the biggest bat, by a good margin, on the market (except maybe Castellanos who has a worse overall profile). AA cant just sit around hoping JD comes back, because if they get outbid at the last second theyre screwed. Probably why theyve spent so much on the pen, to try and get value wherever they can find it instead of getting caught with their pants down.
Regardless of what they do with a starter, JD was very important to balance our lineup, especially considering Acuna just prefers to stay at the top of the lineup. I think Johan starting at 3rd until Riley gets hot in AAA isn’t a bad play at all for 3rd, especially since Riley always starts slow then gets hot later. But they need another bat, preferably a righty with power.
I think the Braves are going to have to end up getting a new cleanup hitter via trade now.
I wouldn’t mind seeing them go hard at Marte now. Hes a totally different hitter, but his overall balanced game offensively could add a new dimension to the team with 3 maybe even 4 guys in the lineup capable of 25+ steals and alot of high contact guys. Castellanos could be a fascinating fit too, if they think he can hold LF down.
AA has some work to do now though, thats for sure.
Acuna doesn’t just prefer to be at the top of the order, his stats are better at the top as well.
If that’s what makes the team the best, so be it, who cares.
I don’t know if Atlanta will get JD or not, I do hope they do. I don’t think Marte is a need. IMO, Pache should start the season in CF and Ender should be traded.
I’d also like to see Atlanta make an offer for Hader as well.
What makes the team better is your best power hitter hitting behind the best guys at getting on base. Which is why they tried to force him into a cleanup spot last year. Its fine he prefers it and if hes going to slump everytime you move him, he can stay, but its certainly not ideal.
If Pache starts at cf we are screwed because he hasnt proved he can hit at a high lvl in AAA yet, which is fine for his age. Thinking Pache can just lineup all year and not be a dead spot in the lineup are dreaming. A .740 Ops in AAA , especially for such a raw player, doesn’t translate to mlb starter on a playoff team and they wont run his clock up just to gamble and see. Rileys numbers were amazing, and he still wasn’t ready just yet.
Thats why I mention Marte. They need an established above average bat with control, and those are few and far between.
I’m pretty sure Acuna will hit anywhere. He seems to hit better when the weather warms up, and he was hitting leadoff by the time it warmed up last yr and was banged up early as a rookie. I do agree that it’s hard to mess with what he has done leading off though.
They moved him to cleanup last year to start the year, he slumped and made it known he much prefers leading off. They moved him back, he took off, and Snit said they wouldn’t make him move again.
So it sounds silly, but he doesn’t like hitting anywhere else and the team tried to move him, but gave up to keep him happy. He did lead the NL in steals, and I think he really wants to be a 40/40 guy based on interviews and his self determined goals.
“It feels like JD might hold out for the most money now that hes the biggest bat, by a good margin, on the market ”
RENDON
But you’re a Liberty Media fan so you had to forget about Rendon immediately.
I didnt think Moose made sense for Atlanta because he hits left handed. As an unbiased fan, I agree the Braves should be in on Marte.
The thing is I think most people thought he would be on a 2 yr deal. Riley can play LF temporarily, so Moose could hit cleanup without blocking Riley. But that was obviously wishful thinking now. The problem the Braves have, is with so many long term pieces locked in, they dont have but a couple lineup spots to replace JDs numbers from. That, and apparently weve been in on him before the last couple years.
Right handed power hitter would be best for sure, but theyve got to find one at Cf, LF, or 3rd as everywhere else is filled with a longterm guy, and we have 2 top 25 prospects at AAA who play CF (who both just got there and are only 20) So the options are limited to short term upgrades at basically 2 spots. Its a pretty complicated situation this season.
A little steep? Solid regular, but this reminds me of the old Scott Brosius signing with the Yankees in late 1990’s…rich price for solid. Hopefully, he won’t decline as Brosius did.
BTW, Moose had a .348 OBP in 2015,
MLB has greatly reduced the value of second base defense. No longer does a second baseman have to be quick of feet, the Double Play rule takes that out of the equation. And with the shift, the second baseman no longer has to be a guy that covers a lot of ground.
I have no doubt he can play the 2020 version of second base. I also have no doubt the game is weaker because of it.
2B can actually hit in modern baseball. There are plenty of solid defenders that cant find a job because you have to do more than be a slap hitter now.
This is completely deflating as a Reds fan. Where does he fit? The corners are locked up for the duration of his deal. I don’t think he’s going to make the best 2B, especially for 4 years. I guarantee this will be a massive mistake when it’s all said and done. 4 years $64m is crazy. Maybe 3 years $36m. Seems like they could have gotten Ozuna for what they paid… and he actually fits!
He is going to play second base and in that ballpark he will mash
I prefer winker/Ervin over ozuna by a a bunch
That’s the problem. Reds fans think the current players are fine. Need new blood!
Probably 2d. But he could play third, with Suarez shifting 2B (nice thing about Suarez is that even though he is pretty much a superstar now, he’s willing to play waterboy if that’s what the manager asks him to do). Suarez can play 2B just fine.
Problem for the Reds now is going to be feast or famine. They’ll hit a ton of dingers, but they’ll also lead the majors in SOs. Even assuming Votto returns to his .400+ OBP, they’ll need another high OBP guy or two to set the table for the sluggers.,
Winker’s the OBP guy if he can stay healthy
Remember folks…they just non-tendered Perazza. They may still be in on Gregorious. And I look for them to still go after another OF bat…maybe Castellanos. And they may still be in on a SP to shore up the rotation. But I don’t think it will be one of the elites.
Now I love Moose and wish he stayed in Milwaukee and the 16 a year I could live with but I cant see 4 years in National league but by then there probably be a DH . Now that being said he did slump in September so I’m sure that had little to do with this being risky.. Now Shaw and Erceg better start working on figuring out their swings
Grandal also sucked for u guys down the stretch IIRC.
If shaw is the starting 3rd basemen im going to go into a deep deep depression.
Suarez started career at SS. Slide him there, Moose at 3B. Galvis at 2b.
That is a much better idea than Moose at 2b.
Suarez has also packed on 30 lbs of muscle since that time. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but he’s definitely a corner IF now
Hook u may have something Suarez@SS, Moustakas@3rd & Galvis@2nd could work, it should be good signing but they still need another bat, unless they think OF is set, I say they need big bat still to win NLC
To me, I don’t get this signing. You don’t sign a guy for that much percentage of your payroll to play a different position. This is not as bad as the Rockies signing Ian Desmond to play first, but the Reds have their three highest paid players basically all being corner infielders and hoping one can play somewhere else. That’s a BIG gamble for a small market team.
Non contending small markets have to overpay to get premium players until they prove they are contenders. Its just the way things are. Its why the Brewers and Rays have to get so creative with lineups and positions. Reds are just following the playbook and with as much potential as their pitching staff has, they are just trying to make sure there are enough bats in the lineup to support them, anyway they can.
That’s perfectly understandable, but it has nothing to do with what I was talking about. I just don’t see why they couldn’t have gotten a comparable bat that plays a position of need for them instead of gambling that they can move someone to that position of need.
Ok, show us the 2nd baseman who is going to hit 30-40 homers at 2nd base you think they should have signed instead then………..
Ok nevermind you seem to think all star bats can be found at every position easily apparently. Which is not how it works.
Freddy Galvis hit 23 last year. They also just had another one in Scooter Gennett. Not saying they should sign him again, but at least he could play the position. Plus, where was it written that the Reds had to get someone to hit that many HRs at 2B? Sign an outfielder capable of hitting that many and don’t sacrifice your defense for the bat.
You seem to think that all star bats can be put anywhere on the diamond and all will be well. That’s not how it works either.
So your answer is Scooter Gennett huh. Ok I am going to move on now. You clearly got this stuff figured out. Also: You do realise Moose played 40 games at 2nd, well, last season right? Youre just seeing the future and know he will stop being good at 2nd?
Do you understand a guy with a power bat at 2nd is worth much more than a corner OF with the same power.. Right?
Anyway, good luck being mad about this signing.
Suarez was originally a SS/2B guy. He can play anywhere except C and defend quite well.
The Rox also gave up the 11th pick in the draft to sign Desmond to that idiotic deal.
Use the running game against the Reds, might set the record for giving up the most infield hits next season.
Nice comment.Now how about facts.What makes there infield offense worse then say the Mets.Answer its not. Moustakis is not the terrible second baseman people seem to be saying he is. Suarez not a terrible third baseman. So please with facts explain your comment
Scott Boras with an eleven pitch AB that he finishes with a gap triple.
As a Cardinal’s fan, the Reds worry me the most in the NL Central this year. I am also a Royal’s fan, and have been saying Moose needed paid for the last 3 years. He’s a better player than Hosmer IMO. Not sure why he doen’t get the love. But he’ll rake in Great American Smallpark. If Votto starts sucking worse, he can man first for y’all too. I really wanted the Cardinal’s to sign him, guess they’re dead set on watching Carp throw ephus balls from third all year though. Nice signing Reds.
As a Reds fan, I’ve been thinking Votto hangs it up if he has another year like last. He’s the kind of guy who’ll walk away if he feels he can’t play like he expects. Even from 3/75
As a Cardinal fan, the team that should worry you the most, is your own Cards team. They are in disarray and aging quickly.
David Stearns better have something HUGE up his sleeve because right now, Yelich is 4 walks a game with zero protection at the moment.
Not sure how you can forget about Keston Huira. He and Yelich form a very good 1-2 punch. I also believe the Brewers will be adding another big bat to the lineup either via trade or free agency. It’s too early in the offseason to get all bent out of shape over players signing early. Especially when Grandal, Moose and Pomeranz all signed bigger deals than most experts projected.
I didnt forget about Keston. He is going to be a stud. I did not include him because I think its unfair to put that much pressure on a kid that early in his career to be protection for a MVP candidate.
Brewer fans are frustrated because 16 million isnt a lot for Moose’s production, and was very affordable.
Oh how soon people forget how Braun came up and did just that for Prince. Barring Stearns signing Donaldson, I will be shocked if Keston isn’t batting 4th next season. I agree Moose would’ve been worth the $16MM per but I wasn’t willing to go more than three years on the deal.
I went to school with him (chatsworth high). So glad to see him get paid he deserves it
Well this only helps the JD market, especially for the Braves. Mouse was wildly considered the fall back if we didn’t get JD. Not only is he off the market, but the reds went full crazy and signed him for stupid money making JD’s value artificially inflate now. Little concerning ….
Agreed. Braves should have pulled the trigger already
It wasn’t right that Moose had to settle for back-to-back one year deals, but man did he make up for it here. Not sure the price, the years, or the plan to play him at second make any sense for the Reds.
Good for him. I’m glad he finally got his payday. As a Braves fan, I’m sad because I wanted him if they didn’t get JD. But, for the player, I’m happy
Good for moose, well deserved deal
This makes you wonder if the Reds know something about Votto. He has come out and said that if he can’t play up to the level he knows he can play at, then he will walk away from the game even before his contract is over. I don’t know exactly how much of those comments are bluster, but Votto has made more than enough money to live comfortably for six lifetimes. He seems the type of person that would walk away as well, but I’m just really engaging in pure supposition here. But this signing does make you think.
I’ll believe that when I see it. That would be flushing a MASSIVE amount of money in the toilet.
Sox could use the same kind of integrity from Pedroia, and the Yankees could have used it from Ellsbury. That having been said, let’s see what Votto actually does. It he means it, he probably should have walked away already. So let’s just wait and see.
One average year and he should have walked away?
So many people saying they’re glad he’s finally getting paid what he deserves… seems like a massive overpay if you ask me. On the best day, he is worth $12m per year.
WAR goes for $8M per. Leave out 2016; he was hurt and missed most of the season. Considering 2015, 17, 18, and 19, he has a total WAR of 12. 3 per year (2.8 in 2018 and 3.2 in 2019, so recent performance tracks that). That would suggest a payday north of $20M. for one year. Since he is 31 and this is a four-year deal, you have to take that down a bit, but this isn’t a huge overpay. You weren’t going to get him for $50M for four years.
Plus, if he can actually play a halfway decent second base, his value goes up. How many second basemen are good for 35 HR a year (heck, with the short RF fences at GABP, he might hit 45 next year).
To be fair, 8 per WAR is a very loose estimate. It’s not a true metric. I do tend to agree with your assessment though
Like most, I like Moose a lot. BUT, 64 million is a lot of millions, especially for a small/ mid-market team. And he doesn’t seem the type that’s going to age well.
As a lifelong Reds fan – well done, FO. MM’s hitting profile is good for GABP. Can play both 2B and 3B as Suarez can play both 3B and SS. Galvis can play both SS and 2B along with VanMeter at 2B. They may not be done yet with Didi and J-Iglesias available.
Shiz is getting real….
If they liked him this much, they should have picked him up two years ago when he was younger. It’s not like he was expensive the last two years. Barely anyone wanted Moose. Although I’m happy for him.
To be fair, the Reds have a pitching rotation theyve built over the past couple years thats just now ready to contend. So this is the best position they’ve been in to justify spending big on the offensive side in awhile.
Yeah, I know, but they knew they were close. It’s still pretty strange to me, but hopefully it works out.
Reds paid Moustakas a lot more than I expected, and gave him more years too. I do expect he will hit well as a Red.
Wouldn’t want Moose playing 2nd base. They should put Suarez at 2nd.
Well, there’s goes another of my predictions. I had Moose headed to Atlanta to cover for Donaldson. Lots of people think this takes Cincinnati out of the running for Didi, but I’d hardly think so. They could easily move Galvis elsewhere and go with the DP combo of Moose and Didi on the left side of the infield. All in all, interesting move for the Reds and a great payoff for Moustakas
I do not know much about the reds but could Suarez move to second. He a young player.
Phillies FU.Way to go klentak
Good for him. As a Brewers fan, he actually played above my expectations, and now he cashed in. You better sign that deal if they’re giving you 4/64. Well done.
Not a reds fan but I thought all of their prospect depth was infielders? Don’t they still have Senzel and India? Can Senzel handle center full time?
Senzel was in cf last year with mixed results
India is sill a year or two away
I’m not the only one who thinks this an overpay right?
Nope, it’s about as weird as it gets.
Just like it will be weird for Cards fans to see their team below the Reds in the standings. No worries, it’ll be weird at first, but you’ll get used to it.
Not if you’re a small market team like Cincy. How else do you get a sought after player to come to your team? An overpay for say Atlanta, but not for Cincy.
So… second base? Or does Suarez return to shortstop? Did the Reds really need infielders? And do they have any outfielders?
Stearns has really made a big mistake letting two fan favorites and solid talents in Grandal and Moose exit. I look for Stearns to continue his cheap ways and try to replace these guys with bums and hasbeens. Will be difficult to replace that kind of offense and not fair to Yellich. Brewers will finish no better than 3rd in the NL central. They are perennial Tightwads but fans throw a lot of cash at the organization.
Hurts, huh?
Senzel ++ to Mil for Yellich.
how many weeds did you inject before writing this comment.
The Brewers had the 15th largest payroll in MLB last year. usatoday.com/sports/mlb/salaries/2019/team/all/
They play in the 27th largest market.
bleacherreport.com/articles/961412-mlb-power-ranki…
Hardly seems like the actions of “tightwads”. Not matching the offer Mouse got, while disappointing, wasn’t about the money. It was about the years and the lack of flexibility that would have given the team. Let’s be patient and see what the rest of the offseason brings us. I was be shocked if the Brewers went into Opening Day with a big dip in player payroll.
Hard to afford both when they were already 15th highest payroll in the league as a small market team, and that was the highest payroll they have had in their franchises history… so please tell me how they are going cheap…
spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/2019/
Wait you think Stearns and Mark A are tightwads? The same two who increased payroll last offseason to sign both Grandal and Moustakas? The same two who have consistently put spent half the league while having the smallest market in all of MLB? Maybe you are thinking Mark A should spend all his earnings from his other businesses on the Brewers but that’s not gonna happen.
I can accept your frustrations for letting two fan favorites go but to say the Brewers will finish no better than 3rd in the NL Central after only a handful of free agents have signed us jumping the gun. Give Stearns time to do what he’s done his entire career in Milwaukee. And that is find players who aren’t overpaid and will out produce their contracts.
You lost all credibility as a Brewers fan by describing the organization as perennial tightwads and calling Stearns cheap. Do you remember Matt Garza? Kyle Lohse? Jeff Suppan?
Moustakas fields well at multiple positions, willing to play where the team needs him, hits with power. Great signing by the Reds. OBP is just one of may factors.
I missed on him going to the Reds and the years. I had 3/48. I did guess that among the top three third basemen he would go first. So I did get something right.
This is an overpay if they intend to play him at 2B. Market is flooded with good 2B options. I do think that Moustakas will do well in that park, however.
Yep, after the way he’s been valued the last two years and is now two years older. This is about as random as it gets.
Feel like this contract had been coming for three years.
As a Brewers fan this is bittersweet. I am happy for Moose who is deserving this long term contract but also that it’s a division rival who has overpaid for his services. I was hoping he would resign for at most 3yrs/$36MM so I’m perfectly fine with Stearns deciding to go another direction to fill our need at 3B.
This does make the 3B free agent market a bit thinner since he is going to a team which wants in need of one. I also find it quite surprising that Reds are paying such a premium to fill a position of need well it appears to be a buyers market for second basemen.
I also find it ironic that three former Brewers all signed early and received contracts which exceeded projections. I’m sure Stearns will find avenues to fill out the roster with solid contributors.
With all the shifts that go on now, it seems like infielders are infielders when they’re in the shift. Doesn’t really matter what you call them anymore.
I’m not a Reds hater and actually hope the best for them, but WTF.
Were they not willing to go to 4/$75 for Grandal? Age/commitment the same, must have thought that 4th year as a catcher would be rural, but Moose isn’t any younger. I think it is an overpay, but agree sometimes small market teams have to do it to get their guy. I still think they will sign an OF. Might as well sign Castellanos and be the worst defensive team in the league…
So the Brewers offseason plan is apparently to try to distract the fans with a new logo and shiny new uniforms and then cut payroll left and right and do absolutely NOTHING to improve the team. At this point they should probably just trade Yelich, Hader, and Woodruff for prospects and start thinking about 2023.
My God it’s December 2nd. Calm down and stop making Brewers fans look bad.
They obviously overpaid. Cincinnati realized it would take north of 60 million to even get him to consider it when odds are if Milwaukee offer him a four year contract it was probably in the area of about 50-52, million.
I hate to say it because teams trying to win ball games is always a good thing but the Reds have probably set themselves back with the moves they’ve made. They traded a whole slew of prospects last year and only have Bauer left for a season. Giving out 64 MM bucks to Moose, now 31, is pretty crazy. 2 years ago this would’ve been a perfectly good deal but it looks like a lot of unnecessary risk to me. I really hope it all works out for them. I really do. Watching a long rebuild fail and then having to start another one isn’t something I’d wish on anyone.
Crazy ?
Apparently the Sonny Gray trade doesn’t register for jbigz. Gray had a great year last year and was extended/signed to a 4 yr/$38M contract. The Reds still have an an above average farm system. Crazy, huh?
LOL this has to be the dumbest move the reds have made in quite some time
Why he’s way better than Peraza!!! Just look at Moustakas stats
Nice signing for Moustakas. Took a while but he finally got paid.
Still hard to see the current 2020 Reds as a playoff team or a 90+ win team.
article has an error. his career high OBP was in 2015. i think it was .348?
Don’t know if this would happen. Put Mousakas at 3rd base, move Suarez to shortstop, move Nick Senzel to 2nd base and sign Marcell Ozuna to play center field.. You can split Winker, Aquino and Ervin between the corner outfield slots or trade for Jackie Bradley Jr to play center and put Ozuna in right.
They just non-tendered Perazza. I think they are still in on Gregorious. And maybe another OF bat as well. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
Ozuna is a terrible outfielder. Terrible player in general. They need Puig back.
And stay far away from Bradly
Agree with the C kid , Moustakas to 3rd, Suarez to SS, Senzel to 2nd & pickup CF/OF, Galvis a bench player w/ Farmer, Casali mayb even Walker to back up Votto
Another aging overpaid Athlete. 2 years at $30 million was more than enough to give him. He’s a career 250 hitter and has never driven in 100 RBIs, but yet they’re going to pay him that much for that long. Tiered of seeing contracts like this.
I, too, judge players based only on batting average and RBI. Do you still use arsenic and mercury to cure your tuberculosis as well? Let’s be friends.
Do you still judge a pitcher’s value solely on wins too?
Are you talking to me about the “judging pitchers on wins”?
meanwhile in Pittsburgh…..
A good fit for the Moose, a very homer-friendly park that will fit perfectly for both him and the team…
This Reds team is absolutely loaded, if Bauer bounces back along with Votto somewhat rebounding, I don’t see how they don’t take the division.
Funny the Pirates are considered a small market team like the Reds yet they’re sitting on their hands while the Reds add guys left and right.
Well, I guess the Braves better hope Riley learns how to hit or re-sign Donaldson because I’m sorry, Camargo isn’t the answer.
I believe the Reds seriously overpaid for this guy. In addition, I see he doesn’t get on base too well. As a fan, I’m glad they’re doing something, but I think they’re going to be sorry.
wow, IIRC thats way above what MLBTR predicted.
I have a feeling this might bite the reds in the butt for their sake i hope it doesn’t end up like last year where they got all these players and fell flat.
The Reds are going against what’s become the norm in baseball. Even the Yankees at least stood pat and built up the farm system and they can spend with anyone. The Reds made the decision to make a push for the postseason when they were a really bad team and nothing spectacular in the way of youth climbing the ranks. That’s a hard way to build a contender these days. If they make all the right moves it could happen but they’ll have to take risks like this. I give them credit for adding Gray and Bauer(especially Gray he seems to be a good fit there). But they still have to make either some impact signings or swing another creative deal or two to push any of the three teams ahead of them. I totally respect them for not blowing it up but it’s a serious risk. If they do all this and it’s not enough they’re going to have a bunch of guys who have negative value(based on contract vs performance) and their rebuild could look like the Orioles. I see them ending up in third or fourth in the central and falling short of a wildcard birth
What the Reds really need to do now is (i) shore up their pen so that Raisel Iglesias only pitches in the ninth when the Reds have a lead and (ii) find a fifth starter.
For some reason, Iggy is bloody awful when brought in to pitch in tie games. He was 3-12 last year. That’s ridiculous. Make him 9-6 and the Reds are up to 81 wins and .500.
And the fifth starter spot was a disaster. Mahle and Wood were a combined 4-15. Ugh. Find someone competent who can go 9-9, win the 19th game with the pen, and now you are up to 87 wins and a contender.
This is great! The biggest difference offensively between the 18 and 19 Reds, was a second baseman with pop you could plug into the 4 hole. Suarez and Moustakes should be a nice combo at the 3,4.
Good for him! Nice deal
Good for him, got screwed before, getting his due now.
IMO Yes was an overpay but we don’t know what the bidding was for him by the other teams. I am assuming there are other shoes to drop with the reds where this signing may make more sense. So many other possibilities. Also not bad having 30-40 homers coming from the 2b position. My real interest is to see what the reds do with the outfield especially since we are finally “going for it”.
Ozuna cannot play center that’s for sure. Ozuna is going to be the gamble of the offseason. He’s had that one great year that everyone is looking at in terms of potential and he has some raw skills to make him a high upside hitter but the results the past couple of years with the Cardinals have been shaky. How much do you gamble on that type of player in that situation?
I’m a Royals fan with fond feelings for Moustakas, but this is an absurd signing at age 31.
Who did the Reds think they were biding against? Boras makes a fool of another team. Joins what he did to Padres with Moose’s buddy Hosmer. Incredible.
Nah, this is a four-year deal at 16 per for a 2B with a 3 WAR average, not an 8-year 18 per front-loaded deal for a 1B with a 2 WAR avg (when the SDP got Hosmer; he’s worse now). Maybe a bit of an overpay, but if Moose can play halfway decent defense, probably not. He’s much better than Gennett, and look what Scooter did in 17 and 18.
Too much money for too long. Believe Villers better less expensive option. Most had Moose at 2 years and 25 to possibly 30 mil. Hurts adding more pieces if they overpay.
Great move for the Reds
It will get really interesting when the Reds sign Khalil Greene to a five-year contract.
I have the same question on virtually all these exhorbitant FA deals over the past 20 years. Who do the GM’s think they are bidding against? How does Boras con the GM to think anyone else will pay 4/64 for Moose or 8/141 for Hosmer.
I don’t think there’s much comparison between those two deals.
Dude MLBTR can’t photo shop a imagine
Might be a 40-50 home run man in that ballpark, Royals fan will always love Moose glad he finally got his deal
Dayum!! This makes 2 seasons in a row that the Reds have grabbed players that I wish ended up in a Braves uniform. Gotta think Anthropolous wasn’t going to offer Moose a deal any longer than 2 seasons w/ Riley waiting in the wings to play
Checks boxes for Reds. They needed offense. Moose has 5 straight years of OPS+ of 107 or above (Gregorious has 1 his entire career). He’s a very good defender who will play 2B better than Scooter butchered that spot, and could take over 1B or 3B if there is an injury at one of those spots. Length of pact catches your attention, but talking age 31, 32, 33, & 34 seasons. Not ancient for an infielder. If the 4th yr got him to sign, maybe you can argue it was worth it.
I was hoping they’d get him but thought 3 years/30-36m was his max. Good for him. Hopefully they don’t say this will stop them from pursuing other bigger names. I’d really love to see Hamels come over for 1 or 2 years.
They aren’t even interested in him
Wow, you guys are way off in your predictions so far. Which writer predicted this one? Ouch.
FG actually was spot on at $16M per year
I really liked Moose on the Brewers and I would have been happy if we resigned him for 3/$40mil. 4/64 feels like an overpay.
Good luck though, you guys sure got the best out of Scooter Gennett maybe you’ll be able to do the same with Moose.
Nice to see the Reds actually try
EVEN THE GUYS ON THE
MLB NETWORK THINK THE
REDS WENT TOO FAR.
largest in team history? lol
Largest contact in Pirates history is still Jason Kendall…. almost 20 years ago.
Aren’t the Reds still a 4th place team after this move? (rhetorical question. They might be 3rd).
Or are they a second-place team after this move? They might be first.
Sometimes I don’t understand the contracts…. 18M in the last year will be an albatross amount.
Why not structure this — especially with the flexibility the Reds have — the opposite.
Pay him more now and decline, as his production is expected to decline.
Clearly not what a player wants to face but it is the obvious result will be.
Because revenues go up, not down for MLB teams.
Have we heard if any other teams made offers?
So two teams have set there new largest FA signings. Certainly took them a while.
Seems like a high contract. He’s basically only had three good seasons out of 8, and only one season higher than a 3.2 WAR.
Well, you have to look at his last 5 seasons, not when he first came up as a 22 year old. He was hurt in 2016 and only played 27 games, so if you take 15, 17, 18, and 19, his WARs were 4.4, 1.9. 2.5. and 3..2 for an average of 3. WAR generally go for about 7-8M per on the FA market, with long-term contracts a little less.
Seems like the Reds got an at-market deal, although if Moose can actually play 2B, then they may have done quite well. His stats will produce more WAR at 2B than at 3B (provided his D isn’t awful), and he should hit 40+ dingers with the short RF porch at GABP.
Pirates largest free agent signing ever was 6 years $60M. Signed just over 19 years ago. Just throwing that out there for those who think their team needs to spend more money.
Just throwing this out there …….
#1 multi year contract
#2 great American ballpark
#3 change of scenery
Look what it did for sonny gray
As an A’s fan I’m delighted Sonny has found fruitful pastures and especially on a NL team. There are a few obvious differences between the two though – and whereas Sonny was a full on bounceback candidate, Moustakis is maybe a “bounce a bit better” candidate. His numbers are pretty consistent with the 1025 outlier…
*oops 2015 outlier…