Fantasy Baseball 2018: Mike Moustakas offseason outlook

Free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas will be highly sought after this offseason. What should we expect from him for fantasy in 2018?

The Kansas City Royals had a great run a few years ago, finally winning the World Series in 2015. But just two years later, the core of that team will be free agents seeking big contracts. Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas are the main trio. With third base being deep, where Moustakas lands in free agency will affect his fantasy value.

Moustakas missed most of the 2016 season with a torn ACL. He played in just 27 games. He was 100 percent for the start of the 2017 season and had his best season to date.

In 148 games, Moustakas hit 38 home runs, 85 RBI and .272. He had a better average in 2015 but with much less power, .284 with 22 homers. Moustakas finished as the No. 14 third baseman on the Player Rater. For someone drafted in the 20th round, his fantasy owners got great value from him.

Looking ahead to 2018, there are many teams that could use the services of Moustakas. The New York Yankees are at the top of that list. They acquired Todd Frazier for the half of the season in order to make a playoff run. He is now a free agent. He is 32 years old while Moustakas is 29.

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If Moustakas joins the Yankees, he could hit 50 homers. I may be exaggerating but we know how favorable that right-field wall is in Yankee Stadium.

The other New York team could also be interested in Moustakas. The Mets have been dealing with the oft-injured David Wright. They then had Jose Reyes play third base for a bit, which didn’t work out as they hoped.

The only bad thing is that Citi Field ranks in the bottom three for home runs. If you are looking to draft Moustakas for his power, you better pray he doesn’t join the Mets.

A third team that could use his services, not counting the Royals, is the Los Angeles Angels. Their 2017 third baseman Yunel Escobar will also be a free agent, making Moustakas a big upgrade at the position.

The Angels also have a heavy right-handed lineup, so Moose would off-set that with his lefty bat. With Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Justin Upton already on the team, Moustakas could make this a threatening top of the order.

The final team worth talking about is the San Francisco Giants. The team had horrible production at third base in 2017, as they collectively hit .216/.268/.300. Things were so bad that the team decided to bring back Pablo Sandoval.

Buster Posey is wasting away in San Fran with no other star in the lineup. Adding Moustakas will give Posey some lineup protection and another lefty hitter in the batting order. While I’m not familiar with the financials, Moustakas and Posey could both benefit as a result.

Moustakas also swung a lot more this season, 55.6 swinging percentage, 40.3 O-Swing percentage, 58.5 first pitch strike and 10.5 swinging strike percentages. Yet, he didn’t strike out much either, 15.5 percent.

He is more prone to hit fly balls, 45.7 percent compared to his 34.8 ground ball rate in 2017, both around his career average. This is why he will benefit from going to a hitter-friendly park and division.

Next: Jesse Winker is a 2018 fantasy sleeper

Moustakas is the top free agent third baseman this offseason. There are some cheaper options, but with most things, you get what you pay for. Moustakas has the power/contact combination down and teams will want a 30 HR/.275 hitter in their lineup. For fantasy, I’m hoping he goes to the Yankees or Angels.

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