Brewers lose Mike Moustakas to Cincinnati Reds

The Milwaukee Brewers have lost another one of the free agents they were hoping to retain. This time it’s to a division rival looking to make a playoff push.

Jon Heyman was among the first to report that Mike Moustakas is signing with the Cincinnati Reds. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it will be a four-year deal.

Like Yasmani Grandal, Moustakas had long been looking for a multi-year free agent deal, going through multiple winters of free agency before finally landing this contract.

Moustakas originally became a free agent after the 2017 season, but Kansas City’s use of a qualifying offer chilled his market to the point of him having to go back to the Royals at a steep discount. The Brewers traded for him in July 2018, and even after showing increased versatility by being able to handle second base and some clutch moments in the 2018 playoffs, couldn’t find an offer to his liking in last winter’s unusually cold free agent market. That led him back to Milwaukee for a full season in 2019 that saw him hit .254/.329/.516 with 35 home runs.

As it turns out, the Reds apparently plan to play Moustakas at second base.

The move officially means the Brewers will have to look elsewhere for third base help, or turn the job back over to Travis Shaw -- assuming he’s tendered a contract before today’s 7 p.m. deadline.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs