MLB Rumors: Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals agree on deal, per report

MLB Rumors: Mike Moustakas and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a one year deal worth $6.5 million, according to Jeff Passan on Twitter. Passan says the deal includes an option and could be worth as much as $22.7 million, with a $5.5 million base, $2.2 million in performance bonuses, and a $15 million mutual option for 2019 that includes a $1 million buyout.

Moustakas, who has spent his entire career with the Royals, rejected the qualifying offer after the season in search of a long-term deal. Few contenders were willing to pay long-term for him, however, and after missing most of 2016, then being roughly a 2 win player in 2017, it's hard to argue that the 29 year old Moustakas was worth the 5 year, $80-100 million deals that were being predicted for him when the offseason started. He's a low-OBP third baseman with some power, and while that has value, it's understandable that teams were going to avoid committing 9 figures to him.

Still...this is much, much lower than what would have been expected, even in a bad free agent market. Moustakas is guaranteed less than half of what he would have gotten if he had accepted the qualifying offer. He will get a chance to play another year with the Royals, and can try his luck again after the 2018 season.