Kansas City Royals Trade Rumors, Roster News 2016: Mike Moustakas Signs Two-Year, $14.3 Million Deal
The Kansas City Royals made a significant signing on Thursday, successfully completing two objectives in just one move, and that is to officially ink third baseman Mike Moustakas to a two-year deal worth $14.3 million. This new development does not only help the team avoid arbitration but also allowed them to buy out Moustakas' final year of his original contract.
The 27-year-old played remarkable baseball last season for the Royals, where he earned his first trip to the All-Star game. He averaged .284 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs. He likewise averaged in career high numbers both in slugging and on-base percentage.
As a player eligible for arbitration, he and the Royals were expected to face each other in arbitration hearing after a huge difference in salary offers with the team presenting $4.2 million, while Moustakas offering $7 million. But before a hearing could be scheduled, the parties agreed to a settlement amount of $5.6 million for the upcoming season and $8.7 million for the next, implying that the Royals have actually given the third baseman a two-year deal.
The Royals, though, weren't really expected to let him go, considering that he has been looked upon as one of the most valued players by the club. Selected in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft, he eventually developed into a reliable player after a short unimpressive performance in his early years.
After a mediocre season two years ago, he spent a lot of time improving his swing, resulting to a much-improved offensive season last. With the improvement, Kansas City must have realized that he deserves a much better pay this time. He'll become a free agent come 2018, but the team still has two more years to push themselves in winning another World Series, and Moustakas is certainly going to be a major player in that push this upcoming season.
