One free agent each MLB team should sign right now

New York Yankees: Mike Moustakas

The list of teams who could potentially sign Mike Moustakas is down to a few contenders, and the Royals are likely only going to make a token offer to save face with their fans. The Yankees and the White Sox stand out as the two teams that have a need at third base, but have different reasons for making a push for Moustakas.

For the Yankees, Moustakas could represent a stopgap measure at third base for a year before they can sign Manny Machado or give Gleyber Torres another year to develop in the minor leagues as he works his way back from elbow surgery. Scott Boras is not in the business of finding his clients one-year deals, but the market is so limited at this point that he may have no choice but to push for a pillow deal. Boras might have a hard time turning down an offer worth $20 million for 2018.

Money is still an issue for the Yankees, and Brian Cashman remains focused on getting below the luxury-tax threshold. To make a serious offer to Moustakas, the Yankees will likely need to find someone to take on at least half of Jacoby Ellsbury’s remaining salary.

Adding Mike Moustakas as the left-handed thunder to help complement Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez would make the Yankees the odds-on favorite to topple the Astros and win the American League. Only Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners know how serious their desire to curb spending really is.