The Cincinnati Reds officially released infielder Mike Moustakas after designating him for assignment on December 22.
They needed a roster spot for Curt Casali, and decided to cut ties with the struggling slugger.
His time with the Reds comes to an end after three seasons.
As Reds insider C. Trent Rosecrans said, it wasn’t a particularly productive stint.
“The Mike Moustakas era in Cincinnati is officially over. Designated for assignment Dec. 22, the Reds officially released Moustakas on Thursday. He was a -1.8 bWAR player for $64 million, the largest free-agent signing in team history when signed,” he tweeted.
The Mike Moustakas era in Cincinnati is officially over. Designated for assignment Dec. 22, the Reds officially released Moustakas on Thursday. He was a -1.8 bWAR player for $64 million, the largest free-agent signing in team history when signed https://t.co/SKyCttde9p
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) January 5, 2023
There you have it: Cincinnati paid $64 million for a player below the replacement level.
Ugh.
Moustakas was once a good player on a championship-caliber team back when he was with the Kansas City Royals.
The Reds gave him a four-year deal hoping he could be a perennial 30-homer threat.
That didn’t happen, of course.
The player hit just 21 home runs in the three seasons he was in Cincinnati… 21 home runs!
That’s an average of seven per year.
Of course, injuries played a role in Moustakas’ failure to consistently produce, but he wasn’t good when healthy.
It’s probably one of those deals the team would love to get back if they had the chance.
Now, the focus will be on Moustakas, as the former World Series winner will enter the market as a 34-year-old veteran with not much in the sense of recent production.
Several teams need an infielder.
Will they be willing to give him a chance?
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