The Kansas City Royals traded third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Milwaukee Brewers last week. The Brewers sent the Royals pitcher Jorge Lopez and outfielder Brett Phillips in return for Moustakas.
The Brewers, looking to make their playoff push, are a game and a half back of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central and are a game and a half up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the top Wild Card spot.
Even though they have the National League’s second best record, the NL playoff picture is still wide open, in stark contrast to the Ameican League teams, where the Oakland A’s are the only team not presently in a playoff spot that are even in the mix.
Moustakas should help stabilize the Brewer’s infield a bit after they have failed to acquire a genuine middle infielder so far.
Moose slides in to third base and Travis Shaw is their primary second baseman right now. Moustakas could potentially play first, too, after it was rumored that the Yankees might want him to play first base for them. It seems like the Brewers will not need to take him up on that, though. Jesus Aguilar is having a great season over at first base for them, with Eric Thames being the backup over there and currently playing in right field, and Ryan Braun serving as further protection at first if need be.
Moustakas is having a solid year, and may be reinvigorated by joining the playoff race in Milwaukee. He is currently slashing .248/.308/.463 (105 wRC+) with a 1.7 fWAR, including his first two games with Milwaukee, where he is 2-9. He’s been about average so far, but adding another lefty bat with power who is playing average serves as a big upgrade for Milwaukee, who can also use Moose’s playoff experience come playoff time.
The Royals didn’t get a massive return for Moustakas, who is making a fairly pedestrian salary to accompany his pedestrian production. His contract also expires at the end of the year. They were never going to get a huge return for him.
If one of Phillips or Lopez becomes an average player, it is a good deal for the Royals, and it is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for the Brew Crew.
Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison
