Yankees star says Mike Moustakas’ contract is prime example of MLB’s labor problems
Not all that long ago, baseball’s hot stove blazed through the winter months. Free-agent signings piled up for months and kept fans dreaming of the next season.
But over the last couple of seasons, the free-agent market has been frozen with few players signing contracts. While infielder Manny Machado got a $300 million deal last week with the Padres, outfielder Bryce Harper remains unsigned as baseball’s exhibition games have started. Those were the two biggest players on the market this winter.
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright tweeted about the players’ frustration earlier this month and wrote at one point: “The problem isn’t just with the big guys... there are over a 100 quality big leaguers without a job... it’s crazy. So, as an @MLB player, it is our brethren we are trying to protect. Ask all of them. I bet 99% of them would tell you this is all they have ever wanted to do”
Wainwright isn’t alone in voicing his frustration. Last week, Yankees star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton echoed Wainwright’s complaint about the number of players who have struggled to draw interest from teams.
Stanton pointed to former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas as a prime example of the problems players are facing.
In 2017, Moustakas hit a Royals-record 38 home runs and then reached free agency, where he was expected to land his first big contract. Baseball Trade Rumors projected Moustakas would get a five-year, $85 million offer.
Moustakas, who had turned down the Royals’ $17.4 million qualifying offer after the record-breaking season, instead ended up signing back with Kansas City for $5.5 million in 2018. That included up to $2.2 million in incentives and a $1 million buyout on a $15 million option for 2019.
In July, Moustakas was traded to Milwaukee and, after a season in which he hit 28 homers, Moustakas declined his $15 million option for 2019. However, earlier this month, Moustakas signed back with the Brewers on a deal that will pay him $7 million this year and includes an $11 million mutual option for 2020 with a $3 million buyout.
Stanton said Moustakas settling for less money two years in a row set a bad example for the players.
“You’ve got guys hitting 30-plus homers who have to settle for one year, below their grade of pay, going year to year,” Stanton told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “We’ve got to figure it out. It’s not good. Not good on the players’ side.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 12:07 PM.
