The Cincinnati Reds have parted ways with slugger Mike Moustakas.
The veteran third baseman was signed by the Reds to a four-year contract prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
The signing has not worked out too well for Cincinnati, as the slugger hit for an average below .250 in each of his three seasons with the Reds and hit fewer than 10 home runs.
However, there are those who believe that Moustakas could improve in the near future.
On Twitter, a fan made a bold prediction that the 34-year-old may turn into the next Matt Carpenter and rediscover his stroke with a new team.
Mike Moustakas = Matt Carpenter 2.0 pic.twitter.com/65JQNIS1xh
— Patrick Hennessy (@UnhingedPatrick) January 5, 2023
Carpenter is an interesting case.
After a few down seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit free agency and was passed up by several teams.
The Texas Rangers took a chance on him, but subsequently released him.
That’s when the New York Yankees came calling.
Carpenter was signed to a one-year deal and immediately rediscovered his stroke and returned to his All-Star form from his early days in St. Louis.
Could Moustakas find himself in a similar situation?
When signed by the Reds, the slugger was coming off of a 35-homer season with the Milwaukee Brewers.
A strong stint with the Kansas City Royals preceded him, and it looked as though Moustakas would help lead the Reds to a new era of winning baseball.
Moustakas obviously disappointed and did not live up to expectations.
But you just never know when a hitter will get hot again, and maybe Moustakas could find himself in the same situation as Carpenter.
